WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Champions.
For the second time in program history, the Ave Maria Men's Basketball team claimed the Sun Conference Championship. The Gyrenes led from the get-go Saturday evening and never let up as they went on to beat Southeastern 87-71 and punch their ticket to the NAIA National Tournament.
"I'm just really proud of our guys. Excited for them to be able to experience this. For our university and our athletic department to experience this…This is a memory they will never forget," said head coach Jamon Copeland.
Saturday was a textbook Ave Maria win with the Gyrenes grabbing an early lead and keeping the pressure up to extend it. AMU started the game with a 15-7 run in the first six minutes. The Gyrenes hit three of their five shots from downtown from three different shooters.
Southeastern got back within five around the halfway point of the opening frame, but that was the last time the Fire would be within two possessions of the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria closed out the half with 29 more points to get up to a 47-37 lead at the break. They hit six more shots from downtown to finish the half with nine. The Gyrenes were 50% from behind the arc at the end of 20 minutes.
In the second half, the Gyrenes stuck to the game plan and continued to play like themselves. As a result, the lead never dipped below 12 points in the final frame of the game.
AMU didn't have any large runs in the second half, their largest run was eight straight points, but they never went cold either. It was just a steady, solid pace for the Gyrenes to clinch the championship.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Gyrenes stormed the court at the Keiser Student Life Center to celebrate the monumental win.
"Tonight, I thought we executed the game plan perfect. The ball was popping, we were getting great looks, we were playing opposite multiple times, and we were getting great, high quality shots and we were knocking them down," said Copeland.
Ave Maria finished the game with 15 threes. Jaylen White led the team with four, followed by Jack Watkins and Micheal Klekas at three. Jack Poirier was the other Gyrene with multiple trifectas hitting two.
Before the trophy presentation, the Sun Conference honored Klekas as the Tournament MVP. Klekas recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He now has 10 career double-doubles, tying him with Matt Gillis (2020-23) for the third most double-doubles in program history. Over both games of the tournament, Klekas recorded 45 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and six steals.
Watkins was the leading scorer in the game for Ave Maria with 21 points. Just two other Gyrenes finished in double figures with Klekas at 20 and White at 14. Noryen Lasley led the team with 13 rebounds, followed by Klekas at 11. It is the second time this season the Gyrenes have had multiple players record double digit rebounds.
It is the second ever conference championship for the Gyrenes and the first since 2019. Ave Maria is now 2-1 in Sun Conference Championship games.
The win punches Ave Maria's ticket back to the NAIA National Tournament for the second year in a row as the automatic qualifier from the Sun Conference.
The selection show for the National Tournament is Thursday, March 6, at 8 p.m. It is then when the Gyrenes will find out what seed they are, where they are travelling, and who their opponent will be.
The National Tournament gets started March 14 across 16 host sites across the country.
