KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The Gyrenes hit a season-high 17 threes Sunday to beat the Indiana East Red Wolves 112-102 and sweep their two games in the ninth annual NAIA "The Show" Classic. It was the fourth time this season the Gyrenes have passed 100 points and the most points scored in regulation since 2019.
Ave Maria got off to a slow start Sunday morning allowing the Red Wolves to lead for much of the first half. Indiana East tried to build on their lead but could never get more than three possessions away from the Gyrenes. Ave Maria started to get into a groove late in the first half and with just under six minutes remaining, tied it up with a Nick Filchner layup. Thirty seconds later, a Jaylen White three gave AMU their first lead of the game, one they would hold for the remaining 25 minutes of the game.
The Gyrenes hit three more trifectas after that to increase their lead and took a 47-40 advantage into halftime after a few good free throws.
Ave Maria hit eight threes in the first half with Filchner leading the way with three. White and Jack Porier also had multiple bombs in the opening period.
In the second half, the Red Wolves stayed within reach of the Gyrenes, working a tie and a few one-point deficits. AMU kept their composure though and responded with a few runs of their own to build back an eight-point lead.
In the final minutes of the game, the Gyrenes began to pull away. Michael Klekas hit a jumper to put Ave Maria at 100 for the fourth time this season and to take a 10-point lead on Indiana East. The scoring didn't stop there though. The Gyrenes hit all eight of their free throws in the final two minutes of the game, and along with two layups, hit 112 points, the fourth highest scoring performance in school history.
Nine threes in the second half meant Ave Maria finished the game with 17, a season high. Filchner led the team, making six of his seven three-pointer attempts, and in total was 9-for-11 from the field. He also led the team in scoring with 25 points. Jack Watkins and Klekas also hit the 20-point mark with 20 points exactly for both of them. White, Miles Monchecourt, and Jonathan Effertz all hit double digits as well with 12, 12, and 10 points exactly. It is the second time this season the Gyrenes have had six shooters score double-digit points.
With the win, the Gyrenes stay undefeated and improve to 8-0. Eight wins ties for the longest winning streak to start a season in program history, matching the 2012-13 and 2019-20 seasons. Both of those seasons, the Gyrenes made the conference tournament.
Ave Maria's next game is Wednesday on the road at the Florida National Conquistadors. FNU is 1-4 this year and 0-2 against Sun Conference teams, having lost to Warner and Webber to start the season.
