Box Score AVE MARIA, Fla. – With first place of The Sun Conference at stake, the 16^th ranked St. Thomas women's basketball team came up with a huge road win defeating Ave Maria, 57-51, on Friday night.  With the win, the Bobcats improved to 5-0 in The Sun Conference to take sole possession in the conference standings, while Ave Maria dropped to 4-1 in league play.
 
STU led 35-20 at halftime, behind a couple of big three-pointers by Berna Miranda and Shanika Brooks.  Coming out of the break, the home team got itself right back into the game, going on a 17-1 run over the first 6:09 of the second half to take the lead 37-36.  The score remained tight through the rest of the second half, as the Bobcats held onto a one-point lead with two minutes to play.  STU pulled ahead by way of effective defense and made free throws to seal the win.
 
In one of the lowest scoring games of the year for both teams, the Bobcats were led by Brooks who scored 11 points, while Jasmin Sakers, Daniella Ciccarone and Miranda all had 10 points.  Ciccarone also pulled down 10 rebounds for the double-double.  STU's leading scorer Dannisha Pierce was held to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, but led all players on the boards with 15 rebounds.
 
The Bobcats held the Gyrenes to 30% shooting from the field and a remarkable 1-of-17 (5.9%) from the beyond the arc.  STU shot 35% from the field and hit on 4-of-18 three-point shots.