Box Score LAKELAND, Fla.- Games aren't played on paper. And, for good reason.
The #7 seed Gyrenes of Ave Maria came away with a 60-59 win over the #2 seed Fire in the quarterfinal round of The Sun Conference Tournament to advance to Friday's semifinal against Webber International.
"Give Ave Maria credit for coming in with lots of energy," said coach Jody Martinez. "They outworked us, outplayed us, and outcoached us.
That energy resulted in a 5-point lead (11-6) with 14:49 to go in the first half. However, the Fire came back with some energy of their own with a 13-0 run to go up 19-11 with 10:31 left in the first. With 5:05 left, SEU (25-6) held a 5-point lead (23-18), but the Gyrenes closed the first 20 minutes on a 10-0 run to take a 28-23 lead into the locker room.
The Ave Maria (16-15) advantage hit 10 with 14:00 remaining in the game on a 3-pointer by Lauren Gillingham to give the Gyrenes a 37-27 lead.
That's when Emma Loucks stepped in.
The senior got her team a 38-37 lead on a layup with 10:18 left during an 11-0 run, of which, she scored seven.
A pair of free throws by Bailey Hooker put the Fire up 48-46 with 6:13 to go, but seven consecutive points by the Gyrenes gave it a 53-48 lead with 3:06 left.
With 1:01 left, Carlie Newman hit a pair of free throws to make it a 2-point game (58-56), but the Fire failed to connect on any of their three shots on their ensuing possession after getting a defensive stop.
"It's unfortunate that we missed so many layups and open looks."
The Fire had one last chance, down by four with two seconds left, when Carlie Newman drained a long 3-pointer at the buzzer and was hopeful for a foul, but the whistles were silent.
Newman and Alyssa Ramos finished with a team-high 12 points apiece, and Hooker and senior Hannah Demarest each had 10. Loucks finished with nine points and six rebounds.
"Now, we have to be patient and see what St. Thomas does in the (conference) tournament this weekend," said Martinez of the hopes for a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
If St. Thomas wins the conference tournament, the Fire would receive the conference's second automatic bid to the national tournament.
