AMU Takes Care of SEU, Sets up Championship Rematch
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Second seeded Ave Maria advance to the finals of The Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club with a 61-43 win over third seeded Ave Maria in the second of two semifinals played Friday night at the Fernandez Family Center.
Tamica Mora led the Gyrenes with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting including two three-pointers. Erin Murphy posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Madison McDonald came off the bench to score 11 points.
Southeastern was led by Bailey Hooker who scored a game-high 21 points. Hannah Demarest added 11 for the Fire.
The Gyrenes held the Fire to 27% shooting from the field and 2-of-17 (12%) shooting from beyond the arc. The AMU defense was particularly stifling in the first half as they held SEU to just 21 points on 24% shooting to take a 31-21 lead into the break.
Ave Maria led the entire contest. After a Hooker three-pointer cut the lead to one, a layup by Madison McDonald made the score of 15-12 and sparked a 15-0 run for the Gyrenes. Ave Maria stayed in control of the game throughout the second half.
Ave Maria will face fourth seeded Webber International at 3 p.m. on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Sun Conference championship game.
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