AVE MARIA, Fla. – Walking off the court in November, the Gyrenes felt like they should have beaten the Mariners. Ave Maria had raced out to an eight-point lead in the first quarter but squandered it right before the quarter ended. The final 30 minutes were back-and-forth that unfortunately saw the Mariners come out on top. Fast forward to February, the Ave Maria Women's Basketball team exacted their revenge as they dominated Coastal Georgia 83-72.
A bucket from Ashley Chilson served as the first points of the game. Coastal Georgia answered back with a three in the following possession. Tiffany Le drove into the lane and was able to finish through contact, her free throw started an 8-0 run for the Gyrenes. Multiple Gyrenes contributed to the run. Elena Barnes knocked down a three-pointer with an assist from Juliette Nichols. Chilson found her way into the paint and added another basket. The Mariners were able to end the Gyrene run with a quick layup in transition. Cortney Smith found her way inside the paint, scoring on a layup in the following possession. Smith and Raegan Cooper connected from behind the arc, to put the Gyrenes up 20-16.
The Mariners came off their bench with a new fire as they scored six straight points. With 8:13 left in the second Coastal Georgia took the lead 22-20. Cooper hit her second three of the game, giving the Gyrenes the lead once again. A Mariner free throw tied the ballgame up 23-23. A Gabby Beauperthuy and-one started a 17-2 run for the Gyrenes. Beauperthuy added two threes during the run, Smith added a three of her own, extending the lead 40-25 going into halftime.
Two made free throws from Chilson started the action after the break. Le swished a three pointer in the ensuing Gyrene offensive possession extending the lead to 20 points, the largest of the night. The Mariners were able to score six straight points as their defense intensified. The mariners rattled off another four points, cutting the Gyrene lead 50-40. The Gyrenes and Marines traded offensive shots. A Barnes three gave the Gyrenes the momentum back. In the following possession, Barnes took a trip to the line and knocked down both of her shots. The quarter finished with a last second Le layup, extending the Gyrene lead 59-47.
The final frame started off with back-to-back buckets from Beauperthuy. With 6:28 left in the quarter, Smith knocked down her second three-pointer of the game, increasing the Gyrene lead 69-51. The Mariners knocked down a three of their own on the following possession. Both the Mariners and the Gyrenes traded multiple baskets, and the game continued. Late into the quarter, the Gyrenes made multiple free throws as the Mariners began to intentionally foul. The extending of the game did not work as the Gyrenes walked off the court victoriously.
Beauperthuy posted her seventh double-double with a season high 19 rebounds and a career high of 27 points. Three other Gyrene reached double digit scoring. Barnes also had a double-double, her sixth of the year, with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Smith added a season high of 15 points, and Le added a season high of 13 points.
As a team, the Gyrenes hit a season high 10 three-pointers from five different shooters.
The win improves the Ave Maria Women's Basketball record to 9-8 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Gyrenes are now tied with Florida Memorial for fourth place in the Sun Conference standings. Both of them are half a game ahead of Coastal Georgia at 6-6 and a full game ahead of Webber at 5-6.
The Gyrenes are back home Monday, February 9, to face Florida Memorial in a battle for fourth place. In the earlier matchup the Gyrenes beat the Lions 61-57 in Miami Gardens. Tipoff is set for 5:30 pm and the game with be streamed on the Urban Edge Network.
