PENSACOLA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team rolled to a big first half lead on Tuesday evening, then withstood a second half rally for a 93-82 win over the Eagles of Pensacola Christian College in AMU's first road game of the 2021-22 campaign. The win gave Ave Maria a 2-0 start for the third time in the past four seasons. The victory also extended AMU's winning streak over Pensacola Christian to five games, dating back to the 2018-19 season.

The teams traded the lead several times in the opening minutes of the game, before a Gyrene run put the lead in AMU's column for good. Trailing 8-5, Ave Maria went on a 15-3 run, flipping the lead to 20-11 for the Gyrenes. Ave Maria's lead did not shrink below seven points and would grow as large as 18, a 45-27 lead capped by a three-pointer from Sean Klekas, before settling into a 52-38 halftime lead for the visitors.

Pensacola Christian crept back into the game in the second half, getting as close as five points, 71-66, with 8:47 to play. The Eagles hung around for much of the second half, but Ave Maria was able to finally pull away with a quick 6-0 run that extended the lead from seven to 13 with 6:21 left, thanks to baskets from veterans Matt Gillis, Eric Klekas, and Chayse Culpepper. The lead would remain in double figures for the rest of the game, allowing the Gyrenes to salt away the win. 

Ave Maria's main advantage over Pensacola Christian on Tuesday came in the paint, as the Gyrenes shot better than 60 percent from inside the three-point arc. Ave Maria also did a stellar job defending Pensacola Christian on the perimeter, holding the Eagles to just 30 percent shooting (9 of 30) from three-point range. AMU was also the beneficiary of struggles at the foul line for PCC, who missed eleven of their 20 attempts from the charity stripe.

Matt Gillis had one of his best games as a Gyrene, scoring 28 points and pulling down eleven rebounds to lead the way for AMU as the game's high scorer. Chayse Culpepper added 16 points with five steals, while Daryl Lewis had 16 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench. Eric Klekas, the reigning Sun Conference Player of the Week, rounded out Ave Maria's double figure scorers with ten points, while also dishing out a team-high four assists. 

The Gyrenes now head into the final game before the start of Sun Conference play, which will see Ave Maria return to northern Florida. AMU will head to Jacksonville for a meeting with the Eagles of Trinity Baptist College. Ave Maria has won five consecutive games against the Eagles, dating back to 2015. Tipoff in Jacksonville is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.