DAVIE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team could not sustain a fast start on Thursday evening, and could not come up with a clutch make in the final minute in a 72-68 defeat at the hands of the University of Fort Lauderdale. The loss ended the season series in a split between the two schools, as the Gyrenes took the first game of the series, 83-66, on December 2 at Donahue Gym in Ave Maria.
Early on, it looked like the Gyrenes might cruise to another comfortable win over the Eagles. Ave Maria did not trail for the duration of the first half, and used a 12-0 run in the middle of the frame to build a 14-point lead, 26-12, with 8:30 to play in the first half. However, Fort Lauderdale was able to chip their way back into the game in the final eight minutes, eventually scoring the final five points of the half to cut the AMU lead to 33-32 at the halftime break.
The Gyrenes kept the lead for the first eight minutes and change of the second half, leading by as many as eight in the final frame. Fort Lauderdale took their first lead of the game with two Benez Woodard free throws with 11:36 on the clock, the culmination of a 12-3 run. The lead would change hands several more times before the Eagles went on another run, this one of 10-0 to take their biggest lead of 62-54 with 5:28 left.
Ave Maria came back to tie the game at 64 with 2:57 to play, thanks to a free throw from Daryl Lewis. The Eagles took the lead back, and the Gyrenes' only chance to tie the game came on a missed layup with 45 seconds left. AMU also missed a layup down by three with 22 seconds left, which allowed UFTL to seal the home win.
Fort Lauderdale's main advantage over the Gyrenes came inside. The Eagles, who did connect on a three-pointer, grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, which turned into 17 second chance points. Fort Lauderdale scored 40 of their 72 points in the paint. Ave Maria shot a respectable 45.8 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 19 times.
Daryl Lewis did his best to guide the Gyrenes to a win, making nine of his 12 shots to lead Ave Maria with 20 points. Eric Klekas added 16 points and six rebounds, and Chayse Culpepper started to approach triple-double territory with eleven points, seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds.
The grind continues for the Gyrenes next week, as Ave Maria plays their final two games of the 2021 calendar year. The first game comes on Monday, when the Gyrenes welcome NCAA Division II Edward Waters University to Donahue Gym. The game will follow the AMU women's matchup with Johnson University, which is slated for a 2 p.m. tip.
