AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Men's Basketball team got back on the winning side Tuesday night, taking down the #10 Bethel Pilots 94-82. It is the second win over a top 10 team this season for the Gyrenes, who took down No. 9 Cumberlands a few weeks earlier.
The Gyrenes never trailed Tuesday against the Pilots, hitting the first shot of the game and never looking back. Bethel forced two ties in the early stages of the game, but a three from Nick Filchner put AMU up for good for the rest of the game.
Ave Maria didn't go on many big runs in the first half but did consistently hit their shots from the field. As a team, the Gyrenes went 20-for-36 from the floor in the opening frame, hitting 55.6% of their shots. Six of those 20 baskets were from downtown as AMU got their groove back from behind the line.
Head coach Jamon Copeland said shot selection was key for the Gyrenes in the first half Tuesday, especially compared to their game Monday night against Huntington. "Last night, I didn't think we were taking bad ones, but for the most part, they were just okay," said Copeland. "We weren't hunting great. We gotta hunt great shots, and I thought tonight, for the most part, we were getting great shots. And the thing about offense, when you play good offense, you get to set your defense because you are making shots, and our press could be more effective."
On the defensive side of the floor, the Gyrenes forced bad shot selections from the Pilots. Bethel went 13-for-39 and 2-for-13 from downtown. Coming into the game, the Gyrenes knew three's were not the strong suit of the Pilots and that is all Ave Maria allowed.
After the successful first half, AMU took a 49-32 lead into the break.
In the second half, Bethel tried to storm back, but the Gyrenes were able to always keep a good separation from them on the scoreboard. The lead never dipped below 10 points for AMU and got as high as 22 points when Nick Filchner hit a layup after swiping the ball.
Bethel tried one more push in the final minutes of the game, getting back within 10 making the score 86-76 with a 1:51 left to play in the game. Once again though, Ave Maria settled the Pilots down and run out the clock to secure the win.
"We got a mature group, they know it is a game of runs," said Copeland on those late pushes from Bethel. "[Bethel] is obviously very, very good. They are very well coached. They are going to make their run, and you just have to know next play, and know what's coming, and try to respond to it."
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 11-3 on the season and 8-3 in non-conference play. The Gyrenes are also 2-0 this season against top 10 teams. Going back to last season, AMU has three wins over top 10 teams in the 2024 calendar year.
Jack Watkins led the team with 20 points. Three other players hit double digits with Michael Klekas scoring 18 points, Filchner hitting 16 points, and Jaylen White bringing home 12. Watkins and Filchner tied for the lead in rebounds, each with seven.
Tuesday was the last game of 2024 for the Gyrenes, who now get a 16 day break before returning back to the court January 2, 2025, for their final non-conference game against Florida National. Ave Maria took care of business against the Conquistadors earlier in the season, beating FNU 95-67 in the home opener. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. from Hialeah.
The Gyrenes begin 2025 with three road games, before coming back to Tom Golisano Field House January 15.
