LAKE WALES, Fla.- On perhaps the most emotional night in the history of Ave Maria University athletics, the men's basketball team advanced to The Sun Conference Tournament championship game with an 83-81 victory over the second-seeded Southeastern University Fire. The thrilling game was played in front of a near capacity crowd at Warner University, which included several hundred students that made the trip from Ave Maria.

Southeastern jumped out to a lead in the first half, scoring the first seven points of the game in the opening two minutes. The Fire never trailed in the first half, and led by as many as ten points on two occasions, leading 41-31 and 43-33 with 1:48 to play. The lead for Southeastern, which never got lower than five points in the final five minutes of the half, was nine at halftime, 46-37.

The first half lead for the Fire was powered by a 51.4 shooting percentage in the opening 20 minutes and seven forced turnovers. The shooting percentage for the Gyrenes was even better at 59.3 percent, but was kept at bay by seven turnovers and eight missed three-pointers. Romello Bates and Gianpaolo Riccio led Ave Maria with ten points each, while Southeastern got nine points off the bench from Jeremy Oppenheimer. 

It didn't take long for the Gyrenes to roar back in the second half, as AMU took their first lead of the game just over six minutes into the frame, 51-50. That lead increased to five points at 55-50, capping off an 18-4 run to start the second half. Ave led by as many as ten points with 8:45 to play in the game, but the Fire would not go away, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. 

After seven consecutive points gave Ave a 77-71 lead with 1:25 to play, the Fire were eventually able to tie the game at 81 on a three-pointer with 18 seconds left. A Southeastern foul sent Riccio to the line, and the senior knocked down both free throws to give AMU a two-point lead. The Fire's final effort, a three-pointer, could not find the mark, and the Gyrenes advanced to the conference title game for the first time ever.

Five Gyrenes were in double figures in the nailbiting victory, led by 20 points from Bates, who also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out nine assists. Leo Behrend added 17 points, and Greenan Sullivan chipped in with 16 points off the bench. Riccio scored 12 points, and Jovan Grujicic rounded out the group with ten points. Three Southeastern players scored ten or more points, led by 18 from Oppenheimer and 16 from Ismael Celestin. 

The Sun Conference Tournament championship game is set for 6:00 p.m. in Lake Wales, and will see the Gyrenes match up with the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia. Coastal Georgia knocked off regular season champion Warner in the other semifinal, and are also in search of their first Sun Conference title. The two teams split the regular season meetings, with each squad winning on their home floor.