JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team stayed unbeaten for the 2021-22 season on Saturday evening, thanks to a 65-52 victory over the Eagles of Trinity Baptist. The Gyrenes built an 18-point lead in the first half, then cruised to earn their third win of the campaign in the team's final game before the start of Sun Conference play on Thursday.
After Trinity Baptist started the game with a 4-0 lead, the Gyrenes responded with an 11-2, which gave Ave Maria a lead they would never relinquish. That run wasn't the only major surge for AMU, who scored 16 unanswered points later in the half to turn an 11-10 lead into 27-10. Mason Osborne knocked down back-to-back three-pointers at the end of the half, sending the Gyrenes to halftime with a commanding 42-24 lead.
Osborne was Ave Maria's leading scorer in the opening 20 minutes, scoring ten points. AMU's scoring output was balanced in the first half, with five players scoring between seven and ten points. As a team, the Gyrenes shot 53.1 percent from the field, including making 13 of their 22 shots inside the three-point line. Ave Maria also held Trinity Baptist to just 30.3 percent in the frame.
Although Trinity Baptist outscored the Gyrenes in the second half, Ave Maria's lead was never in major jeopardy, as the lead never trickled below eleven points. When the Eagles did get within eleven points - 55-44 with eight minutes to play - the Gyrenes went on a 9-0 run over the next four minutes, led by six points from Chayse Culpepper to all but put Trinity Baptist away on their home floor.
The Gyrene defense was the lynchpin to Saturday's victory, as Ave Maria held Trinity Baptist to 33.3 percent shooting, including a 13.8 percent mark from three-point territory, and forced 16 turnovers. On the other end of the floor, the Gyrenes shot just under 50 percent from the floor (49.1 percent). AMU also held the advantage in the paint, outscoring the Eagles 42-32 from close range.
Chayse Culpepper led Ave Maria in the win, scoring a game-high 15 points with six steals and five assists. Three other players were in double figures, including 12 points from Mason Osborne, ten from Daryl Lewis, and ten from Klajd Kiri, who narrowly missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds. Trinity Baptist's leading scorer was Jacquez Anderson, who had 13 points off the bench for the Eagles.
Ave Maria's next four games will be in Sun Conference play, which begins Thursday night at home. The Gyrenes will welcome the Warriors of Webber International University to town for a doubleheader of women's and men's basketball action. The men's contest is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, and will come roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game between the two schools.
