LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team could not withstand an offensive surge from the Warner University Royals on Saturday evening, falling 81-74 at the Turner Athletic Center in Lake Wales. The hosts made seven three-pointers and shot better than 50 percent from the field in the second half, erasing an eleven-point lead Gyrene lead.
Ave Maria played well from the opening tip in the first half, racing out to a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes of the contest. That lead would last for the entirety of the first half, although Warner stayed within a possession or two for most of the frame. AMU did stretch their lead to eleven points on a Klajd Kiri dunk with 2:05 left, but Warner answered with the final five points of the half, sending the teams to the locker room with AMU ahead, 36-30.
Warner took control of the game in the second half, thanks to their hot shooting. The Royals took the lead for the first time at the 15:46 mark, then took the lead for good on a three-pointer with 14:56 on the clock. The Gyrenes hung around for the remainder of the game, but could never retake the lead from the Royals, who seemingly had an answer for every Ave Maria basket.
The Gyrenes lost despite dominating on the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and outscoring the Royals 18-3 in second chance points. The difference in the game came in transition, as the Royals turned 13 Ave Maria turnovers into 17 points, while the Gyrenes scored five points on just seven turnovers from Warner.
Four AMU players were in double figures in the losing effort, led by 18 points from Klajd Kiri. Miles Monchecourt added 17 points with a team-best three three-pointers, and Chayse Culpepper chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Michael Klekas rounded out the quartet with 12 points.
Additionally, Houston Culpepper set a new school record, pulling down 19 rebounds for the Gyrenes. The freshman, who grabbed eight rebounds on the offensive glass to go with eleven defensively, broke the record of 18 set by Tejai Allen against Purdue University Northwest on December 21, 2016.
Ave Maria will look to bounce back from their current skid on Thursday against another SUN contender, the Southeastern University Fire. AMU will be looking for the season sweep against the Fire, following a 79-76 win at Donahue Gym in November. Tipoff from The Furnace in Lakeland is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
