AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team came all the way back from a 17-point first half deficit, but came up just short of pulling off the comeback win in a 67-63 loss to the Cougars of Spring Arbor University from Michigan Tuesday evening. The game was a neutral site affair, played at The Furnace on the campus of Southeastern University, and marked AMU's final game until 2022.

The Gyrenes played from behind for nearly all of the game's 40 minutes, as AMU held the lead for just 105 seconds. The key run from the Cougars came in the middle of the frame, when Spring Arbor went on a 17-2 run, turning a 11-9 lead into their largest edge, 28-11. The Gyrenes quickly went on an 8-2 run to get the SAU lead back to eleven, and eventually got back within ten, 37-27, after an Eric Klekas jumper provided the final points of the frame. 

Ave Maria battled their way back into the game in the second half, despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the final frame. The Gyrenes trailed by nine points with under four minutes to play, but got the deficit down to two in the closing seconds, thanks to a 9-2 run that was keyed by five points from Daryl Lewis. AMU's rally in the second half was powered in the paint, as Ave Maria shot nearly 60 percent inside the arc.

AMU had a chance to tie the game in the final 30 seconds, but turned the ball over. However, a technical foul assessed to Spring Arbor in the final seconds gave Ave Maria some life, as Eric Klekas buried a pair of free throws to tie the game. However, Nate Flannery made both of his free throws, and Daniel Cluster added two more, as SAU kept the ball following an AMU intentional foul. 

Spring Arbor's three-point shooting proved to be the difference on Tuesday, as the Cougars shot 40 percent from the field, knocking down eight triples. On the other end of the floor, the Gyrenes were cold, making only three of their 19 attempts, with no Gyrene making more than one three-pointer. Conversely, Ave Maria was the better team in the paint, outscoring Spring Arbor 34-22 around the basket.

Daryl Lewis was Ave Maria's standout in the non-conference affair, making eleven of his 15 field goal attempts en route to 25 points. Lewis was also AMU's top rebounder, pulling down eight, and caused havoc on the defensive end of the floor with five steals and a blocked shot. Eric Klekas was the only other Gyrene in double figures, scoring 14 points.

The Gyrenes will now break for nearly two weeks, taking the floor next in 2022. The first game of the calendar year will be a non-conference matchup, as Ave Maria heads across the state for a meeting with the Florida National University Conquistadors. That game, scheduled for Monday, January 3, is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Hialeah, Florida.