AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Basketball team tried their hardest to dig out of the hole they found themselves in Wednesday night but ran out of time as the Gyrenes fell to the Southeastern Fire 96-91.
The first half was gritty, low scoring affair between the Fire and the Gyrenes. Southeastern raced out to an early three-possession lead in the opening minutes, but Ave Maria clawed their way back. Just before the midway point of the frame, reigning Sun Conference Offensive Player of the Week Jonathan Effertz drained a three to put the Gyrenes up 17-15. The lead grew to four with a layup from Jack Watkins, but that was the last time Ave Maria would lead in the game.
Southeastern went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, one they would hold onto for the rest of the game.
The Fire led by three possessions multiple times in the remaining minutes of the first half, but three free throws and another trifecta from Effertz brought Ave Maria back within one as the two teams went into the locker rooms at the half.
The second half started just as close as the first. The two teams traded possessions, each scoring two on their first offensive possession then hitting a three-pointer. With the deficit still at one, Ave Maria was looking to retake the lead for the first time since the opening half. However, it was Southeastern that went on a run instead.
In a little under four minutes, the Fire outscored Ave Maria 18-3, extending the margin from one to 16 points. Just two players combined for all 18 of Southeastern's points as the Fire went 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from downtown. On the other side of the court, the Gyrenes went cold, shooting just 1-for-7 from the floor.
Southeastern's lead got as high as 20 in the half before Ave Maria started chipping away at the deficit.
In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Gyrenes outscored Southeastern 39-24. The buckets started falling for Ave Maria as they shot 60% from the field and knocked down six three-pointers. The surge shrunk the lead from 20 points to just five, but unfortunately the buzzer sounded before the Gyrenes could complete the comeback.
"Give credit to Southeastern, really well coached, they played super hard. Their length really, really bothered us," said head coach Jamon Copeland following the game. "They did a great job defensively on us. Everything was tough on that end of the floor, which a lot of times comes easy for us."
Effertz and Michael Klekas tied for the team lead in points on Wednesday night, each with 18. Three more players joined them in double figures with Watkins scoring 16, Marlon Bennett logging 14 and Alex Sherwood bringing home 12.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 18-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Fire are also 7-1 in conference play, and the two teams are now tied for first place in the standings at the halfway point of the regular season.
The Gyrenes are on the road for their next game as they travel to Babson Park to take on the Webber Warriors Saturday, January 24. Ave Maria won the first meeting between the two teams at the Tom Golisano Field House in November 93-82. Tipoff is set for noon on Saturday, and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
