AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria University men's basketball team came just inches away from tying the Keiser Seahawks and forcing overtime Thursday night but unfortunately dropped a heart breaker 80-77. The game was back-and-forth all night and saw the Gyrenes leading for the most part, but a strong surge at the end led to Keiser's victory.
Ave Maria started out hot going on an 11-4 run in the first three minutes of the game which was started with a Houston Culpepper three and ended with back-to-back threes from Jonathan Effertz. The Seahawks quickly got back in the game and went on a 6-0 run themselves in just a minute and a half to get within one of the Gyrenes. From then on, neither team would not lead by more than six points at any point in the game. If it looked like one squad was pulling away, the other would storm back with either a couple buckets or a three to get back in the game.
Despite being close all game, the Gyrenes never trailed in the first half. Keiser pulled even with Ave Maria four times in the first 20 minutes, but every time they did so, the Gyrenes would hit a crucial bucket to regain the lead. At the end of the first half, Ave Maria led 41-39. The Gyrenes shot very well from three-point land in the opening period, going 7-for-16 from downtown. Effertz, Matt Gillis, and Miles Monchecourt all hit back-to-back threes in the half. Seven threes in a half are not the most the Gyrenes have made this season, hitting eight bombs in the first half against West Virginia Tech in November, but it does tie the second highest number of triples in a half with their first half against Marian University, also in November.
The second half started similarly to the first with the Gyrenes getting on the board first with a three, this time from Effertz. Unfortunately, the good times did not persist for AMU as Keiser scratched and clawed their way back into the game and grabbed their first lead of the night with 12 minutes left to go. The lead would change hands a few more times in the final stages of the game, but for the most part it was the Seahawks in command on the scoreboard.
As time ticked down at the end of the game, Keiser put a chokehold on the Gyrenes hitting a three with less than two minutes left to take a 77-74 lead, wasting time, and hitting two free throws with under 20 second remaining, which grew their lead to five points. Ave Maria needed some big plays, and they created the opportunities for themselves to do so. Following the Seahawk free throws, Effertz hit a big-time three in transition to get AMU within two of Keiser. Following the three, the Gyrenes were able to foul, sending the Seahawks to the free throw and giving themselves a chance of sending the game to overtime. Keiser's DaQuan Williams hit his first free throw, putting the Seahawks up by three, but missed his second, giving the Gyrenes a chance to extend the game.
Houston Culpepper grabbed the rebound, drew a double team freeing up Monchecourt who Culpepper found with the pass and let a fly just in front of the scorer's table on the wing. The large crowd at Donahue Academy Gym held their breath as the ball flew through the air, but let out a collective sigh when the ball hit the side of the rim, just a couple inches off from swishing through the net. The horn sounded and the Seahawks survived the Gyrenes.
Despite the loss, Ave Maria put up a good fight and it shows on the stat sheet. Effertz was not only the team's leading scorer, but the leading scorer among both teams, putting out a career-high 23 points. Gillis, Chayse Culpepper, and Monchecourt also scored in double-digits, posting 16, 12, and 12 points respectively. As a team, the Gyrenes went 12-for-28 from downtown, which is good for 42.9%. It is only the fourth time this season Ave Maria has shot 40% or better from beyond the arc.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 11-6 on the season and 4-3 in conference play. They also dropped one spot in the SUN standings, falling to fourth behind Keiser. The Gyrenes have a two-game road trip before returning back to Donahue. The road trip begins with a trip to Lake Wales to take on the 8-10 Warner Royals, which would conclude the first half of their conference schedule. Then the Gyrenes travel to Lakeland to play the Southeastern Fire before finally coming back home to host the Webber Warriors.
