LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team came up just one play short of a conference championship on Saturday night, falling 118-115 to the Florida Memorial University Lions in double overtime at the Turner Athletic Center on the Warner University campus in Lake Wales. The Gyrenes led with under ten seconds to play in both regulation and overtime, but clutch shots from Florida Memorial pushed the game into double overtime.
The Gyrenes found themselves in an early hole in the first half, as Florida Memorial built a 16-8 lead in the opening four minutes. Ave Maria responded with their first big run of the game, a 12-1 stretch that gave AMU a 20-17 lead. The score remained within six points for the remainder of the first half, with the Gyrenes taking a 39-34 lead into the halftime break.
Ave Maria led for almost the entirety of the second half, leading by as many as eleven points, 61-50, with 9:20 to go. The Lions clawed their way back to take the lead on a Cheikh Kebe dunk with 2:24 to go, but the Gyrenes were able to take the lead back, and led 86-83 with eleven seconds left. AMU fouled FMU's Corey Benton to prevent a three-pointer. Benton made the first free throw, missed the second, and teammate Brent Holcombe grabbed the rebound and scored to send the game to overtime tied at 86.
In the first overtime period, the Gyrenes led by five with 1:43 on the clock, but could not put the Lions away. Ave Maria again led by three with under ten seconds left, up 103-100 after two clutch free throws from Eric Klekas. This time choosing to play defense, the Gyrenes again saw the game extended when eventual Sun Conference Tournament MVP Corey Benton drilled a three-pointer with mere seconds to play.
Neither team gained a major advantage in double overtime, which again came down to the wire. After Klekas gave Ave Maria the lead with 39 seconds left, Benton took it back for FMU with a layup with 18 seconds on the clock. AMU had two potential game-winning threes miss the mark in the final ten seconds, and a halfcourt attempt after two FMU free throws just missed.
Eric Klekas capped a remarkable Gyrene career with one of the greatest single-game performances in program history. The senior guard set a program record with 43 points, doing so without ever turning the basketball over. Daryl Lewis added 24 points and 15 rebounds, making eleven of his 14 field goal attempts. Both seniors were named to the Sun Conference All-Tournament Team.
