SIOUX FALLS, S.D.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team saw their program-changing 2018-19 season come to an end on Thursday afternoon in the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Gyrenes suffered an 89-80 loss to second-seeded Southwestern College (Kansas) at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, ending the campaign with a 23-9 overall record.
Southwestern jumped on the Gyrenes early, taking a 16-5 lead less than four minutes into the contest. Ave Maria answered with an 12-0 run of their own, taking their first ever lead in the national tournament, 17-16, on a Gianpaolo Riccio jumper with 12:34 to go in the half. Southwestern would regain control in the final twelve minutes of the half, leading by as many as ten points and taking a 41-31 lead into the halftime break.
The Moundbuilders' first half lead was courtesy of a 22-12 advantage on the glass, as well as a 50 percent shooting percentage. Southwestern got 18 of their 41 first half points from Cameron Hunt, who entered the game first in the nation in scoring and second in the nation in points per game. Leo Behrend paced the Gyrenes with 13 points in his first taste of national tournament action.
In the second half, the Gyrenes would get as close as four points, but could never fully close the gap on Southwestern. A three-pointer from Riccio cut Southwestern's lead to 57-53 with 12:33 to go, and Ave would come within five with 6:32 to play on a Romello Bates jumper. However, Southwestern always had an answer for AMU's rallies, and walked off the floor with a nine-point victory and a date with Marian University in Friday night's round of 16.
Behrend matched the nation's leading scorer shot for shot on Thursday afternoon, as each player scored 32 points. Behrend scored his 32 points on 23 shots, and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Hunt led the Moundbuilders on 27 shots, and added four rebounds and three assists. Romello Bates added 17 points in his final game as a Gyrene, while Gianpaolo Riccio scored eleven in his. Fellow senior Malik Hall concluded his Ave career with a perfect 3-for-3 performance from three-point range, logging nine points.
A whirlwind season for the Ave Maria men's basketball team comes to a close with 23 wins, a total that ties a program record set six years ago. The Gyrenes set a program record for conference wins, and became the first team in the history of the program to hoist a conference championship, winning The Sun Conference Tournament title. Ave Maria was one of two teams to be playing in the NAIA Tournament for the first time ever, and leave Sioux Falls with the best season in school history under their belts.
