WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Ave Maria Gyrenes opened the Seahawk New Year's Classic with an instant classic of their own, beating the Brescia Bearcats out of Kentucky 109-105 in double overtime. It was the seventh double overtime in program history and the third in the last three seasons.
The Gyrenes started off hot from the floor, hitting five three-pointers in the first nine minutes to get out to a 27-20 lead. However, that would end up being their largest lead of the night as the Bearcats fought back and took the lead four minutes later.
Brescia stayed in front for the rest of the half and went into the locker room up 56-53.
The Bearcats kept up the pressure in the second half and got out to an eight-point lead three different times in the first ten minutes. However, the Bearcats couldn't hold onto that lead either and the Gyrenes tied the game at 80 with a little over seven minutes left play with a Nick Filchner free throw. Filchner then gave Ave Maria their first lead of the half by making his second free throw.
The score bounced back and forth with the lead changing hands a couple of times up until the final seconds of the game. With eight seconds left, Brescia's Louis Penn III hit a layup to put the Bearcats up by three, 96-93. Electing not to take the timeout, Ave Maria inbounded the ball and Jaylen White rushed down the court, stopped and fired a shot from the top of the arc. On his way up, White was fouled from behind, disrupting the shot, but sending the sophomore from Philadelphia to the line with a chance to tie the game.
With the game on the line and his team on his back, White nailed all three free throws to tie the game at 96 and send both teams to overtime.
"The confidence he [White] showed and his teammates showed in him is a testament to the work he puts in on a daily basis," said head coach Jamon Copeland.
The first overtime, like the rest of the game, was back-and-forth between the two teams. The Gyrenes grabbed the lead early on a Filchner layup, but then had to comeback and tie the game towards the end with a White layup.
Both teams came up empty in the final minute of the extra period and the game was still tied at 103.
In the second overtime, the two squads traded layups in opening minutes. Later Miles Monchecourt drew a foul that sent him to the line to shoot two and he buried both free throws. That would end up being the game winning points as the Bearcats went 0-for-6 from the field in the final three minutes of extra time. The Gyrenes added two free throws for insurance to make the final score 109-105.
It is the third game in a row Ave Maria has scored over 100 points and the eighth time this season.
White led the team in scoring with 21 points. Filchner was right behind him with 20 points. Monchecourt, Jonathan Effertz, Jai White and Jack Watkins also got into double figures 16, 12, 11 and 10 respectively. That marks the third time this season the Gyrenes have had six players score double digit points.
"Players make plays and we made enough plays down the stretch to get it done," said Copeland reflecting on the win.
With the win, the Gyrenes improve to 11-2. Ave Maria has one more non-conference game on their schedule before league play starts in 2024. That final game is Saturday, December 30, against the Concordia Quebec Stingers from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The game can be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network courtesy of Keiser University.
The Gyrenes next home game is their conference opener against the Southeastern Fire January 6.
