THOMASVILLE, GA — The Thomas University Women's basketball team dropped its first SUN Conference game of the season Thursday night, losing to the visiting Gyrenes from Ave Maria 63-68.
To start the contest, Thomas (1-5, 1-1 SUN) committed two careless turnovers right out of the gates, resulting in a quick 3-0 lead for Ave Maria (3-5, 1-2 SUN). The long ball swish to start the contest for the Gyrenes foreshadowed an evening of three-pointers splashing home, as the team continued to shoot impressively from behind the arc knocking down 9-18 from deep.
Despite the solid shooting to start the contest, the Night Hawks steadied the attack, tying the ballgame at 14 apiece heading into the second quarter.
In the second, the two teams battled back and forth, resulting in two lead changes and a final go ahead basket by AMU Freshman Lavariah Armstead giving the Gyrenes a crucial two-point 28-26 lead heading into the halftime break.
The halftime rest fueled a rejuvenated Thomas attack, as, this time, the Night Hawks jumped out of the gates quicker, beginning with a 6-0 run to start the third.
The team's offense was led by Junior Amayla Sharif, as the guard scored 14 of her 26 points in this period alone. The Night Hawks produced their only 20+ point quarter of the evening in this quarter, as Graduate student Destiny Reed also contributed four of her 22 points on the night here as well.
The two combined for 48 of the teams 63 points in the contest, but the Night Hawks ran out of gas down the stretch, getting outscored 21-12 in the final quarter of the game. AMU's offensive explosion came early in the fourth, as the Gyrenes surged on a 14-2 run over the first five minutes of the period.
In the end, four of AMU's five freshman starters tallied double-digits, as Gianna Santacroce made five of her six three-pointers en route to a team-high 16 points. Lavariah Armstead (15), Casey Humphrey (12) and Emily Rapacz (10) also all ended the night in double figures, and forward Colleen Shanahan had a huge night for the Gyrenes, as the Orlando, Florida native pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds.
TU will be back at home Saturday, taking on the Fire from #5 Southeastern University. Tipoff at TU Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Fans can follow along with the contest by accessing the links below.
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