WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Fire's late-season run came one stop short of the hardware, as No. 16 Ave Maria prevailed over Southeastern University, 87-71, to win The Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament title.
The Gyrenes (24-6) netted the game's first five points and never trailed in the game. Kyonte Thomas downed a 3-pointer for a 5-5 tie, but Ave Maria answered with a 10-3 surge, added three points to the margin by half and led by no less than 12 points in the second half.
After a challenging regular season, SEU hit its stride with a pair of Tournament victories and reached its first championship game since it won the 2023 edition over St. Thomas, 70-62.
SEU and Ave Maria split the regular season series with each winning on its home floor. The Fire won the first meeting, 99-95, before the Gyrenes took the return meeting a month later, 90-79.
It was a tough night for the Fire from beyond the arc, where they finished 6-of-24. Ave Maria netted 35 of its 67 field goals (52.2%) and outrebounded SEU, 44-32.
Nathan Mikkelson came off the bench to lead SEU in scoring by shooting 8-of-13 from the field and hitting all three of his free throws for 20 points. He added 10 rebounds for the double-double to go with two steals and two blocked shots.
Diego Platas was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe for half of his 11 points along ith six rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists. Derek Murphy added nine points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Joshua Blazquez dropped nine points and added three assists. Thomas contributed eight points and three assists.
Nelson Reynolds added five points and Amir Brikat had four points and four boards before leaving the game with an injury in the second half. Joel Villanueva finished with three points and Matthew Lentz added two.
For Ave Maria, Jack Watkins and Michael Klekas led the way with 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Midway through the first half, Platas made both ends of a trip to the foul line and cut the SEU deficit down to five points, 18-13, at 10:34. It turned out to be as close as the Fire would get, as the Gyrenes netted the ensuing five points and rode it to a 47-37 intermission score.
Platas and Mikkelson both made a free throw apiece in the opening three second-half minutes as SEU pulled within 12 points, 51-39 and 53-41. It was SEU's closest margin to Ave Maria over the final 20 minutes.
The Fire finish the season 14-17, with their fourth Sun Championship game appearance in the last eight years. It has been feast or famine for SEU, as they have been bounced in the first round the other four years. It was the first championship game loss for the Fire since falling to Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in 2015, and the third straight playoff loss to Ave Maria.
