WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Ave Maria Gyrenes remained undefeated in conference play after beating the Keiser Seahawks 95-80 Saturday afternoon. Like the first of this two game road stand, the Gyrenes stormed back in the second half after finding themselves down by multiple possessions.
The first half at Massimino Court was all Keiser with the Seahawks starting the game with an 11-0 run. Miles Monchecourt put an end to the run with a three pointer. Ave Maria's next three baskets all came from the perimeter as well, but a lack of shots from inside the arc only cut the deficit down to nine. The Gyrenes first two point basket came from Jaylen White on a jumper.
The Seahawks continued to extend their lead for the rest of the half and found themselves as far as 18 points in front of the Gyrenes with less than five minutes left to play in the frame. That's when the Gyrenes roared back to life. In the final four and half minutes, AMU went on a 15-2 run to get within five of the Seahawks. Jonathan Effertz led the run with seven points, which started with a three from the sophomore. The team as a whole was 5-for-7 from the floor, while Keiser only got four looks at the basket, and missed three of them.
Down 40-35, the Gyrenes left the locker room determined to even up the game. It only took two minutes to do that, with Noryen Lasley connecting on a layup to tie the game for the first time since tipoff.
After swapping leads and ties for a couple minutes, the Gyrenes then went on a similarly large run as the one they ended the first half with, in half the time. AMU outscored Keiser 14-2 in just two and half minutes. The Gyrenes went 6-for-9 from the floor while the Seahawks only connected on two free throws. Monchecourt and Jaylen White hit two big threes at the end to punctuate the run that gave the Gyrenes the lead.
The long ball was tough for the Gyrenes to establish in the first half, but Ave Maria made up for it in the second half, draining eight of 19.
After the big run, the Gyrenes cruised for the rest of the game, keeping pace with the Seahawks which protected their big lead. After the final buzzer, AMU walked off the court with a 95-80 win.
Monchecourt was the leading scorer for the Gyrenes, bringing home a season-high 23 points. The other double-figure shooters were Effertz at 17, Jack Watkins at 13, Michael Klekas at 10 and Lasley at 10. Klekas also added his third double-double of the season, hauling in 11 rebounds.
Saturday was a battle of the last two unbeatens in the Sun Conference, and with the Gyrenes emerging victorious, they now sit alone as perfect in league play at 3-0. Overall, Ave Maria is 14-3 on the year.
The Gyrenes return home for the next game Wednesday, January 17, against the Florida Memorial Lions. In the most recent poll, the Lions were ranked 22nd in the NAIA, the highest of any Sun Conference team. Ave Maria was the next highest ranked team in the conference, receiving 57 votes, but were dropped from the Top 25. A new poll will be released the morning of the game and might add some more intrigue into the game. Florida Memorial is 2-1 in conference play, beating St. Thomas and Coastal Georgia while losing to Warner.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 following the women's game in the renovated Tom Golisano Field House and will be broadcasted on the Sun Digital Network.
