HIALEAH, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Basketball team looked good for the first three quarters of their Saturday afternoon clash with the Florida National Conquistadors. Unfortunately, basketball games are four quarters, not three. FNU stormed back in the fourth as they beat the Gyrenes 55-50.
Ave Maria led for the majority for the first quarter, taking advantage of all the free passes the Conquistadors gave them. The Gyrenes got sent to the free throw line 10 times in the opening frame, and drained eight of those shots. From the field, Ave Maria hit two field goals, a layup by Ashley Chilson and a three-pointer from Parker Straub.
However, right before the buzzer of the first quarter, Florida National hit a jumper to win the frame and take a 14-13 lead at the end of 10 minutes.
The second quarter was quiet on both ends of the floor as each team scored just single digits. Ave Maria got another three-pointer from Straub and two jumpers from Chilson and Danigzy Mantilla in the quarter. Two more free throws from Chilson allowed Ave Maria to outscore FNU 9-8 in the quarter and go into the break tied at 22.
Both teams found their offensive groove in the third quarter as the two combined for 37 points. Ave Maria found the slight majority of those combined points, outscoring FNU 20-17. Ave Maria's best stretch of the afternoon was a 7-0 run across 1:20 seconds of game time that put the Gyrenes up by six. It was the largest lead of the game for Ave Maria.
FNU worked the margin back down to a single possession, but the Gyrenes still went into the final frame up 42-39.
Unfortunately, Ave Maria could not keep up that scoring pace in the fourth quarter. Even worse, Florida National did as they outscored AMU 16-8 in the final frame. FNU took the lead with 6:44 left to play in the game and did not give it back.
Elena Snyder hit a layup with two minutes left to play to bring the Gyrenes within three of the Conquistadors. However, the Gyrenes went 0-for-3 and committed one turnover in those last two minutes as FNU hung on to win.
Individually, Chilson led the team with 23 points and is continuing to average 25 points per game in the young season. The junior recorded just four rebounds, ending her double-double streak at three. Chilson was the only Gyrene to hit double figures. Snyder was next on the team with seven points. The leading rebounder was Ava Zucco with eight boards.
The loss drops Ave Maria to 1-3 overall.
Ave Maria remains on the road for their next two games; however, they will not count towards the Gyrenes' record. AMU has two exhibitions on the schedule as they take on NCAA Division II Tampa and NCAA Division I Florida Gulf Coast. The exhibition against Tampa, scheduled for Monday, November 9, will be broadcast on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network. Then on Wednesday, November 11, the Gyrenes will be on ESPN+ as they take on FGCU.
The next countable game for Ave Maria is Saturday, November 21, as the Gyrenes open up the conference schedule at home against the Florida Memorial Lions. The two teams split the season series last year with the road team winning each contest. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
