TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team went cold on Friday evening, dropping a 93-73 decision to the Falcons of Florida College on the road. The game, which saw the Gyrenes miss 28 of their 34 three-point attempts, was the final contest in a stretch of three road games in three days for Ave Maria. 

Ave Maria and Florida College were relatively even for much of the first half, with the Falcons leading by just one with 12:11 on the clock. From there, the Falcons went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 24-15, and never again led by less than seven points. The Falcons also put together a run in the final eight minutes of the half, outscoring AMU 22-9 in the final eight minutes of the half to turn a seven-point edge into a 48-28 lead entering the halftime break.

Florida College continued to assert their control in the second half, building their lead to a high of 27 points. The Gyrenes were never able to put together a run that threatened the host Falcons, and were unable to get any closer than 18 points.

AMU could not overcome a cold shooting night, which saw the Gyrenes shoot just 17.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc (6-for-34). Much of Ave Maria's scoring came on the offensive glass, as the visitors pulled down 20 offensive rebounds and logged 22 second chance points. In total, the Gyrenes shot 38.4 percent from the field, as opposed to a 54.3 percent mark from Florida College. The Falcons shot the ball well from the perimeter, making 15 of their 29 three-point attempts.

Matt Gillis led hte Gyrenes with 16 points, making seven of his 12 field goal attempts. Jose Sanchez posted his first career double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds, while Eric Klekas also added ten points for the Gyrenes. Florida College's leading scorer was Bryan Chong, who made five three-pointers off the bench en route to a game-high 17 points.

The Gyrenes will get an almost immediate chance to redeem themselves on Tuesday night, when Florida College comes to the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy. The game is the last non-conference matchup for the Gyrenes before Sun Conference play begins against the Webber Warriors on Thursday. Tipoff between AMU and Florida College on Tuesday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.