AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team advanced to the semifinal round of The Sun Conference Tournament for the third year in a row, thanks to a 75-64 victory over the seventh-seeded Lions of Florida Memorial University. The Gyrenes have now won five of their last six conference tournament games, a streak that started with the program's first conference tournament title in 2019. The win also marked the tenth consecutive victory for Ave Maria over Florida Memorial.

The Gyrenes raced out of the gate, allowing just two Florida Memorial points in the first eight minutes of the contest. Ave Maria was dominant for the opening 14 minutes of the game, building a 25-9 lead over the visiting Lions. In those first 14 minutes, the Lions made just three field goals, as the AMU defense forced the Lions into a number of tough shots.

In their first postseason game in nearly four years, Florida Memorial would not go down easily. FMU went on a 13-3 run, cutting the AMU lead down to 28-23 with under two minutes to go in the half. Chayse Culpepper knocked down a buzzer beating three to end the half, giving Ave Maria a 31-23 lead at the break.

Florida Memorial hung around for much of the second half, getting as close as three points, 44-41, with 9:41 remaining. After seeing their lead cut to three, the Gyrenes answered with a 17-6 run to extend their lead to 14 with just over four minutes on the clock. That run proved to be the difference in the game, as the Lions never again came within nine points. 

Ave Maria put together an excellent defensive showing against the Lions, holding the visitors to a 31.3 percent mark from the field. FMU also shot 23.8 percent from three-point territory, making five of their 21 attempts. Conversely, Ave Maria shot 42.3 percent from the field, and made one of every three three-pointers with nine makes in 27 tries. AMU's shooting helped to overcome a 48-34 advantage for Florida Memorial in the rebounding category.

Eric Klekas and Chayse Culpepper led the way for the Gyrenes, as the duo combined for 46 points. Klekas led all scorers with 24 points, knocking down four three-pointers and making all eight of his free throws. Culpepper posted a career-high 22 points in his first taste of postseason basketball, shooting 50 percent from the field. Florida Memorial was powered by Mubashar Ali, who ended his 2020-21 season with 23 points and 15 rebounds against AMU.

For the second time in three years, the Gyrenes will play The Sun Conference semifinals in Lake Wales, on the campus of Warner University. That semifinal contest will see the Gyrenes battle the Keiser University Seahawks for the fourth time this season. In the other semifinal, Warner will face fourth-seeded St. Thomas. With a win, AMU would play for the Sun Conference title in the same building they won the title in two years ago. The two semifinals are scheduled for Friday evening in Lake Wales, with the title game following on Saturday.