LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team saw their 2020-21 season come to an end in the semifinals of The Sun Conference Tournament, falling 79-62 to the third-seeded Keiser University Seahawks at the Turner Athletic Center on the campus of Warner University. The Gyrenes, who ended their postseason run in the TSC semifinals for the second season in a row, were doomed by Keiser's 46-26 edge in the second half. Keiser advances to Saturday's title game against fourth-seeded St. Thomas.
The first half was marked by a series of small runs, as the momentum swung between the Gyrenes and the Seahawks. Keiser jumped out to a 16-10 lead, which was then answered by an 11-1 run from Ave Maria. After the Gyrenes took that 21-17 lead, Keiser scored five points in a row to take the lead back, then AMU answered with four of their own. This stretch would continue for much of the final ten minutes of the half, with a three-pointer with 56 seconds left giving AMU a 36-33 lead entering halftime.
In the second half, the Gyrenes were unable to keep up their offensive momentum, as the Seahawks outscored AMU 46-26. Keiser shot 52.6 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, and outrebounded Ave Maria by a 24-12 margin. Ave Maria was held to a 34.6 percent mark from the field, with 18 of their 26 shot attempts coming from three-point territory. The run that allowed Keiser to take control of the game was an 8-0 run with under seven minutes left, taking the lead from six to 14.
On the game, Keiser used a 38-24 advantage in the paint and a 15-8 edge in points off turnovers to topple the Gyrenes. The Seahawks' strong second half powered Keiser to a 50 percent mark from the field, while AMU recorded a 39 percent mark. In their final game of the season, AMU knocked down nine three-pointers, but attempted 27, one of the team's highest totals of the season.
Fernando Salsamendi scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds in his final game as a Gyrene. Lucas Uzdavinis added 14 points, and Matt Gillis chipped in with ten. The game's high scorer was Keiser's CoreVon Lott, who led four Seahawks in double figures with 20 points.
The Gyrenes finish the 2020-21 season with 20 wins for the third season in a row, logging a 20-11 record in the hyper competitive Sun Conference. After winning 16 combined games over the three previous seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18), Ave Maria has posted a 63-30 record over the past three seasons, and has become a stalwart program in the league. AMU is also the only team in The Sun Conference to play in the final four of the conference tournament in each of the past three years.
