LAKELAND, Fla. — The Ave Maria University men's basketball tean had a few cold stretches in the first half against the Southeastern Fire that they couldn't come back from in their 93-77 loss Saturday afternoon at The Furnace in Lakeland.

The Gyrenes hit the first three buckets of the game opening with a Noryen Lasley free throw and back-to-back Nick Filchner threes. The Gyrene lead didn't last long however as Southeastern took the lead five minutes into the game.

In the middle of the opening half, the Gyrenes went cold for just under a four-minute stretch, going 0-for-5 from the field. Southeastern on the other hand hit four shots and three free throws to go on a 12-0 run. That put the Fire up by 15 points, and Ave Maria was not able to close the gap to three possessions or less for the rest of the game.

SEU outscored Ave Maria 50-39 in the first half and shot 60% from the field while the Gyrenes were held to just 33%.

In the second half, Ave Maria shot much better from the floor, bumping their percentage up to 51%, but the Fire were able to match the effort and keep their lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Gyrenes walked off the court with a 93-77 loss.

Michael Klekas led the team in scoring with 20 points. Jaylen White and Jack Watkins also got into double digits with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Following the loss, the Gyrenes fall to 6-2 in conference play and 17-5 overall. With Florida Memorial and St. Thomas both getting wins on Saturday, the Gyrenes are now only one game ahead of the two, albeit still in first place.

The Gyrenes are back home Wednesday, February 7, as the host the Warner Royals. The Gyrenes won the first meeting between the two this season, winning a 97-95 overtime thriller in Lake Wales. Watkins led the team in scoring that game with a season high 25 points, while Klekas also eclipsed the 20-point mark with 22. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be streamed on the Sun Digital Network.