KINGSPORT, Tenn. — It was their lowest winning score of the season so far, but the Ave Maria Men's Basketball team got the job done over RV Life in their first game in The Show, winning 84-74. It is the fourth straight win for the Gyrenes in the annual Thanksgiving classic dating back to 2022.
The first half was an exciting back and forth affair between the Running Eagles and the Gyrenes, with 13 lead changes and five ties. Neither team had more than a two possession lead over the other, with the largest lead in the first half being five points.
The Gyrenes were a little uncharacteristic in their shot selection in the first half on Saturday, only taking five shots from behind the arc and making just one of them. The previous low this season was eight attempts from three-point land in one half.
Instead, the Gyrenes dominated the inside of the court, scoring 32 of their 41 first half points in the paint. Ave Maria went 16-for-26 from two in the opening frame.
With less than two minutes left to play in the half, Jack Poirier was sent to the line after a Life foul. Poirier hit both of his free throws to give Ave Maria a one point lead. This ended up being the last lead change of the game as the Gyrenes protected their lead. Jaylen White hit two jumpers in the final minute to give the Gyrenes a comfy five point lead at the break.
Ave Maria controlled the second half, staying in front the whole time. Life got within a point of the Gyrenes a few times early in the half, but never got in front.
The Gyrenes hit a few more threes in the second half, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc.
AMU played good defense down the stretch of the game, holding Life to just 1-for-6 from the floor in the final five and a half minutes of the game as the Gyrenes cruised to an 84-74 win.
It is the lowest winning score of the season for the Gyrenes, but showed they can win both high scoring shootouts and low scoring defensive battles.
White led the team in scoring with 16 points, the fifth straight game he has hit double digits off the bench. The Gyrenes had three other shooters crack double figures with Jack Watkins and Michael Klekas scoring 14 and Miles Monchecourt hitting 10. Jonathan Effertz led the team in three pointers, making three of the five for the Gyrenes.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 8-2 on the season. It is also their fourth straight win at The Show, having swept their two games last season and winning their second game in 2022.
The Gyrenes are back in action Saturday against their toughest opponent yet. Ave Maria will take on the Cumberlands Patriots, who were ranked ninth in the most recent NAIA Top 25 poll. The Patriots are the first ranked team the Gyrenes will face this season, and the highest ranked team Ave Maria has played in the regular season since their last loss in The Show against #6 Marian in 2022. Last season in the National Tournament, Ave Maria went 1-1 against Top 10 teams, beating #9 Southwestern in the first round and falling to #2 Langston in the second round.
The Patriots lost their first game of the season Friday in their opening contest in The Show, falling to #8 Northwestern 88-74.
Tipoff is set for 1:45 p.m. The game will be live streamed by the Southeast Sports Network on YouTube, whose link can be found on the schedule page.
