The Gyrenes knocked off their first nationally ranked team in the program's short two year history.
A balanced offensive attack helped Ave Maria to a stunning 79-76 win over (NAIA Division I) 10th ranked Saint Xavier University on Monday night. Ave Maria, which improved to 5-4 at home, is now 6-6 overall. The Cougars fell to 14-6 overall.
The Gyrenes shot a solid 57 percent from the field. Dylan Fugate had 18 points in the game to lead AMU. Kiel Lewis had another sound performance with 17 points, 5 steals, and 2 assists. In the first half of play, Lewis made a steal and threw one down at the other end to get the AMU crowd on their feet. This was just one of many exciting plays in the game.
Sophomore Marc Rozanski made a number of clutch plays throughout the game which included 3 blocked shots. He had 15 points, 2 assists, and a steal in the game. Offensively, Chris Scanlan was sharp on executing his shots. The sophomore was 5-6 from the field. His 2 three-pointers allowed the Gyrenes to keep their edge as the scoring went back and forth between both teams.
Colin Voreis had 7 points and a blocked shot. Jimmy Torney had 7 points with 5 rebounds and an assist. Point guard Daniel Vivas kept the ball moving and dished out 7 assists. Freshman Jordan Fuller came off the bench to hand out 2 assists and make a steal.
The Gyrene’s aggressive offense drew a lot of fouls by the Cougars as three Saint Xavier players fouled out of the game. Larry Pikes led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points, and Phil Riggs added 12.
Down by one point at the half (38-37), the Gyrenes continued to battle and outscored the Cougars 42-38 in the second half to secure the win. “Our guys deserved this win tonight,” said Ave Maria head coach Jamon Copeland. “They fought hard all game long and made key plays that we needed down the stretch.”
Ave Maria begins Sun Conference play this weekend at Embry Riddle University on Friday and at Edward Waters University on Saturday. Both away games will start at 7 p.m.