Ave Maria, FL – The Webber International Women's Basketball team opened conference play in comeback fashion on Saturday afternoon, rallying late to knock off Ave Maria, 66–60, at the Tom Golisano Field House. The Warriors move to 2–3 overall and 1–0 in league action, while the Gyrenes fall to 1–3 and 0–1.
Ave Maria came out hot, using three early three-pointers and a 9-point first-quarter surge to grab a 20–17 lead after 10 minutes. The Warriors settled in during the second frame behind the guard duo of Sophya Barreiro and Camryn Patterson, attacking the paint and getting downhill in transition. Webber outscored the Gyrenes 15–15 in the quarter to keep things tight and trailed just 35–32 at the half.
The third quarter turned into a grind as both defenses tightened. Webber was held to 12 points in the period and trailed 50–44 heading into the final 10 minutes, with foul trouble starting to mount for key starters. In the fourth, the Warriors completely flipped the script, clamping down defensively and forcing Ave Maria into turnovers that fueled a 22–10 advantage in the quarter. Webber's pressure resulted in 26 Gyrene turnovers, leading to 15 Warrior points off giveaways, as the visitors closed on a decisive run to secure the six-point road win.
Barreiro paced Webber with a game-high 20 points on an efficient 7-for-12 from the field and a blistering 4-for-5 from three, adding three assists and two steals. Patterson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists on 6-of-8 shooting, while Zaree Nichols added nine points and three boards. Jaiden Ross battled for seven points, seven rebounds and two assists before fouling out, and Danshelle Mickel chipped in six points and three steals off the bench. As a team, Webber shot 40.6 percent from the floor, scored 34 points in the paint and got 18 points from its reserves to overcome a 36–26 rebounding deficit and earn a conference-opening victory on the road
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