Score: No. 25 Keiser Seahawks 84, No. 16 Ave Maria Gyrenes 69
Records: Keiser (22-4, 12-2 SUN), Ave Maria (20-6, 11-3 SUN)
Location: Student Life Center - West Palm Beach, Fla.. 
Keiser Starters: Calvin Sirmans (G), Albert Dennis (G), Cameron Stitt (F), Chris Roth (G), Vincent Miszkiewicz (F)
Ave Maria Starters: Johnathan Effortz (G), Nick Filchner (G), Jack Watkins (F), Michael Klekas (G), Noryen Lasley (F)

The top two teams in the Sun Conference went to battle on Saturday afternoon in West Palm Beach, Fla. and the No. 25 Keiser men's basketball team came out on top with an 84-69 win over the No. 16 Ave Maria Gyrenes. The scoring took a backseat once again to the defensive pressure put on display by the Seahawks who held the highest-scoring team in the NAIA to just 69 points. Keiser, on the other hand, topped 80 points for the third game in a row and picked up their first ranked win of the season. Chris Roth led the Seahawks in scoring with 15 points on the night and was among five players in double digits for KU.

Keiser controls their own destiny heading into Wednesday's game against No. 20 Florida Memorial. Tipoff from the FMU Wellness Center in Miami Gardens, Fla. is set for 7:30 p.m.


With 11:05 remaining, Jackson Slater scored a layup in the paint that sparked a 13-4 run over six minutes and gave the Seahawks a 10-point lead going into the final five minutes of the game.
 

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Keiser 46, Ave Maria 42

• Chris Roth kicked off the game with a three, which led to a 9-2 start for KU
• Ave Maria would climb back into the game over the next four minutes, tying the contest at 16-16 with 13:47 remaining
• The two sides would trade baskets with a layup from Johnathan Effortz tying the game at 26-26 five minutes later
• Keiser would open their lead back up to seven with less than two minutes to play as Tyreon Payne and Roth continued to score
• The Gyrenes cut the lead down to just two late, but a pair of free throws by Calvin Sirmans put the Seahawks ahead by four going into the break

Keiser 84, Ave Maria 69

• It was a slow start to the second half for both sides with the first basket in the half finally going in after a two-minute drought
• Back-to-back layups from Cameron Stitt brought Keiser's lead up to eight with 15 minutes showing, 57-49
• The Gyrenes would not go quietly with Nick Filchner hitting a three to put Ave Maria within one, 61-60
• At that point, Keiser stepped up their defense, forcing the Gyrenes to just 2-of-9 shooting over the next six minutes and outscoring them 13-4
• The Seahawks would continue to pressure the ball and with two layups on the offensive end by Jonathan Paul, KU was in the driver's seat with less than two minutes to play
• A pair of rebounds and a steal in the final seconds by Vincent Miszkiewicz would seal it for the Seahawks who ended the game with a 15-point spread, 84-69

  

• Keiser continues their hot run, improving to 22-4 on the year
• The Seahawks are now in control of their Sun Conference destiny with a 12-2 record and the number one spot
• The win over No. 16 Ave Maria is the first ranked win of the season for KU
• Ave Maria came into the contest averaging 96.3 points per game but was held to just 69 points on Saturday
• It is just the third time all season they have been held below 70 points
• They become the 19th team to be held below 70 points against Keiser
• All but one of those games resulted in wins for the Seahawks
• For the third time this season, Chris Roth led the Seahawks in scoring with 15 points on Saturday
• Calvin Sirmans, Tyreon Payne, Jonathan Paul, and Vincent Miszkiewicz joined him in double digits
• Albert Dennis came up big on the defensive side of the ball for KU with a season-high four steals in the contest
• As a team, Keiser stole the ball 12 times in the contest, the 10th time this season they have hit that mark
• On the boards, Miszkiewicz finished with 19 on the night to go along with three blocks
• Keiser opted to play it safe for most of the night, finishing with just eight turnovers which is tied for third-fewest this season

 

• Ties: 2
• Lead Changes: 3
• Largest Lead: Keiser (18); Ave Maria (4)

Keiser will make the trip to Miami Gardens, Fla. on Wednesday February 19 to take on the No. 20 Florida Memorial Lions. Tipoff from the FMU Wellness Center is set for 7:30 p.m.
 

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