AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team rolled to their fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday night, blasting past the Pensacola Christian College Eagles, 93-53, at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium. The win marked a season sweep over the Eagles for the Gyrenes, who also earned a 66-65 victory over PCC on November 5 in Pensacola.

It didn't take long for the Gyrenes to take complete control of the contest, as Ave Maria had a 20-point lead less than nine minutes into the game. After scoring the first five points of the game, the Gyrenes never trailed the Eagles, and only led by less than five points for just under two minutes. The initial surge included a 14-0 run, turning a relatively narrow 13-7 lead into a 27-7 advantage AMU would never look back from. AMU entered halftime with a commanding lead of 47-18. 

Ave Maria's first half dominance was seen on both ends of the floor, as AMU shot 56.3 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while holding Pensacola Christian to a 25 percent mark. Fernando Salsamendi already had a double-double at halftime with ten points and ten rebounds, while Lucas Uzdavinis led all scored with 14 points, including three of Ave Maria's five three-pointers.

In the second half, the Gyrenes used the entirety of their roster with the game firmly in hand. Eight of the eleven players that saw time in the second half scored, led by the first eight points of the collegiate career of freshman Jake Charske. Fellow freshman Joe Barrett also had his most productive day of the season, scoring seven points while pulling down three rebounds.

The Gyrenes finished the contest shooting 55.7 percent from the field, making 34 of their 61 shot attempts. They also cleared 40 percent from long range, making eight three-pointers on 19 tries. The defensive effort was also evident for AMU, as the Eagles were forced into 19 turnovers and shot just 33.9 percent from the field, as well as 19.2 percent (5-for-26) from three-point territory

Salsamendi was Ave Maria's leading scorer in the win, scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds for another double-double. Uzdavinis' early shooting powered him to 14 points, while a perfect night from the free throw line (7-for-7) propelled sophomore Chosen Levarity to a season-high 13 points. Chayse Culpepper and Joseph Hahnenberg narrowly missed out on double figures with nine points each. Pensacola Christian was led by 15 points from Austin Lewis and 14 from Christian Porter.

AMU will play their final game of the 2020 calendar year on Wednesday night, as the Gyrenes quickly return to their home floor. Ave Maria will welcome the Conquistadors of Florida National University to town for the first time in over three years, with the last meeting coming on November 9, 2017. The meeting between Ave Maria and Florida National is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, once again at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium.