AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team came up one point short on Saturday evening, losing a heartbreaker to the No. 6 Keiser University Seahawks. Keiser scored with less than ten seconds remaining to claim a 66-65 victory over the Gyrenes. Before the contest, the five members of AMU's Class of 2020 - Leo Behrend, Greenan Sullivan, Jeff Steel, and managers Isaac Chmiel and Rory Martinez were honored.
Ave Maria fully controlled much of the first half, building a lead as big as 21 points at 30-9. Keiser would chip into AMU's lead in the final eight and a half minutes of the half, cutting Ave Maria's edge to 40-27 heading into halftime. The 18-10 edge in that time frame included the final seven points of the half, powered by seven points from Jermar Perkins, who hit a layup at the buzzer to cut the AMU lead to 13.
The Gyrenes shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half, which included a 53.3 percent mark from long distance. Keiser was held to 28.2 percent shooting, but remained within striking distance thanks to eleven offensive rebounds. Behrend led AMU with 16 points on just eight shots, but Perkins matched his effort with 16 points of his own coming off the bench.
In the second half, the Seahawks continued to cut into the Ave Maria lead, but were unable to finally overtake the Gyrenes until the final seconds. After getting a stop down by one, Keiser took the first and only lead of the game with eight seconds on the clock, when Marko Radulovic drove down the lane and made a layup. Ave Maria's final attempt to win the game was a jumpshot that came up short in the final seconds, allowing Keiser to leave the Tom Golisano Field House with the win.
Keiser held the Gyrenes to just nine field goals in the second half, and forced nine turnovers. For the game, Ave Maria shot 52.2 percent from the field, but fell victim to 16 offensive rebounds and a 15-4 margin in second chance points. The Seahawks also shot eleven more free throws than the Gyrenes, making nine more. AMU was also hurt by 15 turnovers.
Behrend was one of four AMU players in double figures, leading all scorers with 22 points. Joining Behrend with more than ten points were Lucas Uzdavinis (14), Jovan Grujicic (11), and Marcus Montalvo (10). Perkins led Keiser with 20 points, while Marko Orlic scored 18 points and Malcolm Mabry chipped in with eleven.
Following the loss, the Gyrenes are now guaranteed to host a first round contest in The Sun Conference Tournament. The results of the next week will determine whether Ave Maria is the third or fourth seed. The final game on the regular season schedule is a date with No. 21 Southeastern. Tipoff in the regular season finale is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at The Furnace in Lakeland.
