AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team could not hold off the Florida College Falcons on Tuesday evening, dropping a 77-71 decision at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy. The Gyrenes led by as many as 12 in the second half, but eventually fell in their final non-conference tune-up before the beginning of league play on Thursday.

Ave Maria never trailed in the first half, and led for more than 18 minutes en route to a 41-32 lead at the end of the opening period. A jumper by Fernando Salsamendi gave AMU their biggest lead of the half, 37-27, with 2:21 remaining in the half. Florida College cut the Gyrene lead back to seven points, but a layup just before the buzzer from Joseph Hahnenberg gave the hosts a nine-point lead heading into the halftime break.

AMU's biggest advantage in the first half came on the offensive glass, as the Gyrenes pulled down nine offensive rebounds to just one for the Falcons. The edge inside also allowed the Gyrenes to convert on 56.5 percent of their two-point attempts. The nine-point lead came despite an 18.8 percent mark from three-point territory, with just three of AMU's 16 long distance attempts connecting. 

Florida College's rally started with a 9-0 run, which cut a 53-41 lead for Ave Maria with 13:48 remaining down to 53-50 with 12:43 on the clock. The Falcons eventually took the lead for the first time on a Matt Simpson layup with 5:42 left that put Florida College on top, 65-64. The Gyrenes never again reclaimed the lead, getting as close as three points with 1:14 left. A three-pointer  from Bryan Chong with 48 seconds remaining essentially sealed Florida College's second win over the Gyrenes in four days.

Another cold shooting night eventually doomed the Gyrenes, as AMU matched a 3-for-16 effort in the first half with an identical mark in the final 20 minutes. Ave Maria did pull down 14 offensive rebounds in the losing effort, and committed just five turnovers. AMU shot 36.6 percent from the field, while Florida College's mark stood at 46.6 percent following a 51.6 percent effort in the second half.

Eric Klekas and Chayse Culpepper had 15 points each for the Gyrenes, while Fernando Salsamendi posted a double-double off the bench with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Klekas also narrowly missed out on a double-double, pulling down nine rebounds. Jose Sanchez was also in double figures for AMU, scoring ten points. Simpson was the game's leading scorer, posting 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Falcons.

Sun Conference play starts on Thursday for the Gyrenes, as Webber International University comes to town. Two of the last three meetings between the two schools have been decided by three points or less, and three of the last four have been decided by eight points or less. Tipoff between the Gyrenes and the Warriors is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of a men's and women's doubleheader.