LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team nearly erased a 17-point first half deficit on Saturday evening, but faded late in a 101-86 defeat at the hands of the Southeastern University Fire at The Furnace in Lakeland. The loss was the first of the season for the Gyrenes, who dropped to 4-1 on the campaign.
Southeastern never trailed on Saturday, and quickly built a 14-point lead, 21-7, in the first five and a half minutes of the game. That lead got as large as 35-18 when Reggie Mesidor hit a three-pointer with 9:25 to play in the half. Ave Maria's response was a 12-0 run, cutting the Fire's lead down to five at 35-30. Southeastern's lead stayed in single digits for the remainder of the half, as the Fire took a 44-37 lead to halftime.
SEU's lead was built mainly from long distance, as the Fire outscored the Gyrenes 24-8 from three-point territory. Ave Maria's strength in the opening 20 minutes, conversely, was inside, with AMU making nine of 12 attempts (75 percent) from inside the arc. Southeastern also punished Ave Maria on the glass to the tune of ten offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
The Fire once again built their lead up in the second half, taking a 13-point lead on several occasions in the first eleven minutes of the half. The Gyrenes had one more surge in them, cutting the Fire's lead to 76-71 with 7:11 left. From there, Southeastern outscored Ave Maria 25-15 in the final seven minutes, pulling away from the Gyrenes in what would prove to be a 57-point half for the home team.
Ave Maria could not overcome Southeastern's three-point shooting on the day, with 20 three-pointers falling for the Fire. The Gyrenes were not bad themselves from beyond the arc, making ten of 22 attempts, which included a 6-for-9 mark in the second half. While not as dominant in the second half, SEU grabbed 13 offensive rebounds for the game, while Ave Maria managed just four.
Matt Gillis and Daryl Lewis led the way for the Gyrenes on Saturday, scoring 19 points each. Eric Klekas added 17 points, while Klajd Kiri (11) and Chayse Culpepper (10) were also in double figures as all five Gyrene starters scored at least ten points. Gillis and Kiri were the team's leading rebounders with six each, while Culpepper dished out five assists.
After suffering their first conference loss of the season, Ave Maria will play two SUN games next week. The trip to the Peach State starts on Thursday, when the Night Hawks of Thomas University welcome the Gyrenes to Thomasville. Tip-off at TU is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
