COLUMBIA, S.C. — Basketball season is finally back as the Ave Maria Men's Basketball team returned to the court Friday after their most successful season yet and are back to their high-scoring ways. The Gyrenes scored over 90 points and were close to hitting the century mark as they beat the Columbia International Rams in the season opener 97-89.
Jaylen White hit the first bucket of the season for Ave Maria, an on-brand three pointer, and the Gyrenes were off and running. AMU opened the game with a 7-0 run and stayed in front for the entire half.
Ave Maria's biggest lead of the half was by 17 points with Jonathan Effertz hitting a three-pointer to put the Gyrenes up 28-21. Columbia International worked the margin down to 12 by the end of the half, but the Gyrenes went into the break leading 51-39.
Effertz led the team in scoring at the break with 18 points, knocking down four three-pointers in the process. White was right behind him with 17 and newcomer Alex Sherwood, a junior transfer from Saint Leo, was third on the team with 10 points.
Second half started out a little dicey with Columbia International coming out swinging. The Rams opened the frame with a 16-3 run and took their first lead of the game.
The lead bounced back and forth between the two teams for the next eight minutes of the game, with neither squad getting more than a two-possession advantage.
Tied at 75 with seven and half minutes remaining, Michael Klekas hit a layup to give the Gyrenes a two-point lead, one they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Ave Maria grew their lead to 11 twice in the final minutes of the game with a mixture of clutch baskets and free throws.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Gyrenes walked off the floor with a 97-89 win. Last season, the Gyrenes had 17 games where they scored over 90 points. With their win on Friday, they are on their way to try and top that mark.
Five Gyrenes hit double figures in the season opener. Effertz led the team with 23 points, the most in his career since the Sun Conference Semifinal against Florida Memorial in 2024. White was also over 20 points with 21, the most since Ave Maria record-breaking 142-point win over Trinity Baptist in November of 2024.
Also in double digits was Jack Watkins with 17, Klekas with 15 and Sherwood with 12. Four of the five starters played over 30 minutes in the game. Marlon Bennett was the leader off the bench for Ave Maria with six points in 17 minutes.
As a team, the Gyrenes hit 11 threes. Five were from Effertz and four were from White.
With the win, Ave Maria starts the season 1-0. The Gyrenes have now won their last eight season openers in a row.
The Gyrenes will stay in the Palmetto State for one more game as they take on the Morris Hornets Saturday, October 25. It will be second ever meeting between the Gyrenes and the Hornets, with Ave Maria winning 104-77 in the first ever meeting in 2023. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Sumter, South Carolina.
