TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team nearly pulled a monster upset Tuesday night, taking No. 20 Florida College to overtime in front of a capacity crowd in Temple Terrace. The Gyrenes led by as many as 17 points, led with under 40 seconds to go, but could not close the deal in a 93-89 overtime loss to the Falcons. In AMU's current eight game losing streak, seven losses have come by ten points or fewer.
Ave Maria could not have asked for a better start, as the Gyrenes raced out to a 26-9 lead less than nine minutes into the game. That lead was nearly gone by halftime, however, as the Falcons outscored the Gyrenes 29-14 over the final eleven minutes to cut the AMU lead down to two, 40-38. Miles Monchecourt and Klajd Kiri led the Gyrene effort in the first half, making ten of a combined 13 field goal attempts.
Florida College seemed to take control in the second half, leading by as many as eight points and leading by seven with just over seven minutes to go. Ave Maria would not go away, however, eventually reclaiming the lead. The last of these leads came with 32 seconds left, when a Chayse Culpepper three-pointer gave the Gyrenes an 82-80 lead. However, Florida College made a layup on the ensuing possession, and neither team could break the deadlock before overtime.
In overtime, Florida College scored the first six points of the frame before a Chayse Culpepper three cut the Falcon lead back to three. AMU would get no closer than three points, despite having two chances to tie the game in the final minute. Two clutch free throws in the closing seconds extended FC's lead to two possessions, allowing the favorites to win the Continental Athletic Conference to escape AMU's upset attempt.
The Gyrenes kept up with the nationally ranked Falcons in nearly every category, making the same amount of three-pointers (11) and free throws (12). AMU was the better team on the glass, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds that turned into 16 second chance points. Ave Maria also limited their turnovers against the Falcons, allowing Florida College just one steal and eight total takeaways.
Three Gyrenes did the bulk of the scoring for AMU, accounting for 68 of the 89 points. Chayse Culpepper led the way with 26 points, as well as five rebounds and five assists. Miles Monchecourt added 25 points and five rebounds of his own, while Klajd Kiri had a huge performance with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kiri's 17 points came on a near perfect night from the field, as the Naples native missed just one of his eight field goal attempts.
AMU will look to get back to .500 on the season on Thursday, when the Gyrenes play their final non-conference game of the season. Ave Maria will host Florida National at Donahue Gym in a rematch of a game played in Hialeah on December 14, a game the Gyrenes dropped by an 86-72 score. The game, which will also be Senior Night for the AMU men's basketball program, is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. tipoff.
