AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team sweated out all 40 minutes on Saturday evening, but eventually emerged with a 91-87 victory over the Florida Memorial University Lions at Donahue Gym in Ave Maria. The Gyrenes let a seven-point lead with two minutes left get away, but did just enough in the final ten seconds of the game to escape with their fourth conference win of the 2021-22 season.
The first half was marked by runs, as both teams held decisive leads in the opening 20 minutes. Florida Memorial's major run came midway through the frame, as the Lions scored eight straight points to take what would be their biggest lead of the game, 26-18. Ave Maria immediately answered with eleven consecutive points of their own to retake the lead. After trailing 26-18, the Gyrenes would outscore FMU 22-6 for the remainder of the half to take a 40-32 halftime lead.
Ave Maria led for almost the entirety of the second half, and led by as many as 12 points in the final 20 minutes. Until the final minutes, the Lions were only within one score on one occasion, as the Gyrenes kept a comfortable lead. Both teams shot the ball well in the second half, with Florida Memorial at 60.6 percent and Ave Maria at 53.3 percent.
Up seven with two minutes left, the Gyrenes watched as Florida Memorial scored on four straight possessions, and coupled with two AMU turnovers and a miss, took an 87-86 lead with 12 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Chayse Culpepper was fouled with nine seconds left, and buried both free throws to switch the lead back to AMU. Mason Osborne came up with a steal on FMU's final possession, and three more Gyrene free throws salted away the win.
Both teams found themselves with second chances throughout the game, as Florida Memorial grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and Ave Maria secured 15 of their own. The Gyrenes had one of their best shooting games of the season, making eight of 15 three-point attempts, including five of seven in the second half. The Gyrenes also made the most of their free throw chances, making 25 of 30 tries from the charity stripe.
Three Gyrenes eclipsed the 20-point mark in the win, led by 26 points from Chayse Culpepper. Matt Gillis had one of his best games of the season, making four of five three-pointers en route to 23 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Daryl Lewis was over 20 points for the third game in a row and the fourth time in five games, putting in 22 points.
With the win, the Gyrenes moved alone into second place in The Sun Conference, boasting a 4-2 record in league play. The win also marked Ave Maria's eleventh consecutive victory over FMU, a streak dating back to the 2017-18 season. Next on the docket for AMU is a road contest against the Keiser University Seahawks, which is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip in West Palm Beach on Thursday.
