LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team was doomed by a cold shooting night on Thursday, falling 81-65 to the Royals of Warner University in Lake Wales. The win secured a share of The Sun Conference title for the Royals, while the Gyrenes will enter the conference tournament as either the third or fourth seed, depending on results from Saturday.

Despite an early Warner lead of 12-5, the Gyrenes stormed back to take their first lead of the game, 17-16, following a layup from Daryl Lewis with 12:38 remaining. Warner took control of the game shortly thereafter, going on a 19-6 run to extend their lead to 14 points, 42-28. AMU scored the final four points of the half on an Eric Klekas layup and two Lucas Uzdavinis free throws, but still trailed by ten at halftime. 

Warner continued to pull away in the second half, making almost 57 percent of their shots, including nearly 70 percent of their two-point attempts. The Royals led by double figures for the last 17:30 of the game, going up by 12 on a Joseph Martz three-pointer. The Gyrenes were also hurt by their shooting at the free throw line, as AMU missed more free throws in the second half than they made.

The Gyrenes made just four of 19 three-point attempts in the losing effort, and did not make any long distance tries in the second half. AMU also struggled from the foul line, shooting just 52 percent (13 of 25). Warner outscored Ave Maria 27-12 from long distance, and made all but one of their free throws to keep the Gyrenes at bay.

Eric Klekas was Ave Maria's leading scorer Thursday night, recording 15 points to pull his two-year total at Ave Maria to 997, giving him the chance to hit the 1000 point mark at home. Klekas made five of his six shots inside the arc. Daryl Lewis, who played just 20 minutes due to foul trouble, added 12 points, while Jose Sanchez scored eleven points and pulled down a team-best seven rebounds. 

Entering the final game of the regular season, the Gyrenes have clinched a home game in the quarterfinal round of The Sun Conference Tournament. Saturday's results will determine whether the Gyrenes will finish third or fourth, as well as their Tuesday opponent. The Gyrenes take on the Keiser University Seahawks Saturday afternoon, with tipoff of the regular season finale scheduled for 4:00 p.m.