TEXARKANA, Texas — The Ave Maria Women's basketball teams wrapped up their trip to Texas Saturday evening as they took on the Xavier Gold Rush. The Gyrenes fought hard, but they could not pull out the victory as they fell to the Gold Rush 61-52.
In the first quarter, the Gyrenes fell behind early as Xavier got out to a quick 10-point lead. Ave Maria fought back as Ashley Chilson hit a shot late in the quarter to cut the deficit to six, as the Gyrenes trailed 22-16 after one.
Ave Maria got out to another slow start in the second quarter as Xavier went on an 8-0 run, hitting their largest lead of the night at 14. AMU did not score until late in the frame when Elena Snyder hit a layup. Some free throws from Chilson and Snyder cut the margin back down to single digits heading into halftime.
The Gyrenes' offense hit their stride in the third quarter, with free throws from Chilson and a layup from Talia Pellegrini bringing the lead down to six. Later, Parker Straub hit her first three pointer of the night and Ava Zucco knocked down another jumper got within three with just a little over a minute remaining in the quarter. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Gyrenes would get to the Gold Rush for the rest of the game. Xavier scored four points in the final minute to take a 43-36 lead into the fourth.
Ave Maria tried to battle back in the fourth quarter, with a layup from Ava Zucco and a three pointer from Mylee Van to cut the lead to six. However, Xavier responded with a run of their own, outscoring the by two in the fourth and sealing the game for the Gold Rush. In the end, the Gyrenes could not battle back, as they fell to Xavier 61-52.
Chilson was Ave Maria's leading scorer with 20 points, scoring 20+ for the second game in row. Chilson also led the team with 11 rebounds, posting her second double-double in as many games. Snyder was next on the team in both categories with eight points and six rebounds.
With the loss, Ave Maria goes to 0-2 on the young season and make their way back to Florida from the Lone Star State.
The Gyrenes are back in action on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, as they take on the Fort Lauderdale Eagles in their home opener. Ave Maria is 4-0 all-time against the Eagles since the two programs first met in 2022. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
