Naples Standard

Despite being the first overtime game of the season for Ave Maria, and the first double overtime game since the exciting Sun Conference Championship game last February, the Gyrenes ran out of time against the Webber Warriors Saturday at Donahue Academy Gym, losing 92-86. Ave Maria stayed close all game, and hit some big shots to force overtime, but the Warriors proved to be too much for the Gyrenes.

Both teams started out very lackluster in the first half, taking about eight minutes for one them to break double digits, the Gyrenes doing so with a Klajd Kiri layup to take a 11-9 lead. Ave Maria held the lead for the majority of the first half, but the Warriors fought back a took the lead with under five minutes to play before halftime. The Gyrenes would take it right back on the next possession, but a Webber three put the Warriors up by two and they would hold the lead for the rest of the half. In fact, Ave Maria did not regain the lead until the first overtime period.

When the horn sounded, the two teams went into the locker room with Webber up 30-26. During the first half, the Gyrenes were making their field goals from inside the arc but were having some struggles from downtown. Ave Maria went 2-for-10 from three-point land and went 0-for-5 in the final 12 minutes of the half. Luckily, Webber wasn't doing much better from three, going 4-for-12.

In the second half, Webber stayed in front for most of the 20 minutes, but Ave Maria was always within striking distance. The Warriors' largest lead in the second half was an eight-point lead in the first minute of the second half. Ave Maria responded with a 9-2 run however and got back within one point of Webber. Following that, Gyrenes never fell behind more than two possessions of the Warriors.

Both teams traded 4-0 and 5-0 runs throughout the half, Ave Maria always staying close and making the Warriors sweat. In the final 20 seconds of the game, the Gyrenes found themselves down three after Webber's Orri Hilmarsson made both of his free throws. Chayse Culpepper drove down the length of the court, hitting a layup to bring the Gyrenes within one with 11 seconds left on the clock. Following a Webber timeout, the Gyrenes fouled with only one second evaporating off the clock. Hilmarsson hit both of his free throws again, putting the Warriors back up by three and forcing the Gyrenes to hit a three pointer to extend the game.

Chayse Culpepper got the ball and launched a three from the top of the arc to try and tie the game, but the shot was just off the mark and hit the front of the rim. Luckily Michael Klekas was able to grab the rebound with four seconds left, dribble out to the wing near the stands, and throw up a prayer from beyond the arc off his back foot while being double-teamed by two Warrior defenders. Klekas got the ball off a tenth of a second before the buzzer sounded, and splashed a nothing but net three to send the game to overtime tied at 73.

In the first overtime, the Gyrenes struck first, taking a 75-73 lead off a Klekas jumper. It was their first lead of the game since 4:08 in the first half. Both teams traded buckets throughout the overtime period, and after another clutch three with 28 seconds remaining from Lucas Uzdavinis, the two teams were still tied after having played an extra five minutes.

In the second overtime period, the Gyrenes hit a cold streak, going 1-for-7 from the field and the Warriors began to pull away. The free-throw struggles that Ave Maria had been able to avoid for the majority of the game also came back as the Gyrenes went 2-for-6 from the charity stripe, leaving four points on the board. When the final horn sounded, Webber was on top 92-86.

Despite the loss, the Gyrenes can still be proud of their strong effort. Chayse Culpepper and Klajd Kiri both hit the 20 mark with 24 points and 20 points respectively. Michael Klekas was the other Gyrene to score in double digits with 13 points. Kiri had double-double in the game with 17 rebounds, the third highest single-game total in Ave Maria basketball history. As a team, the Gyrenes pulled down 58 rebounds, which is tied for the second most rebounds in game in AMU history.

With the loss Ave Maria falls to 11-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play. The Gyrenes hit the road for the next three games, travelling up to play the two Georgia teams in the conference, Coastal Georgia on the 26th and Thomas on the 28th,  and then stopping by Temple Terrace, Florida, to take on the #21 Florida College Falcons. After that stretch, the Gyrenes are back at Donahue to play the Florida National Conquistadors February 2. All of those games will be broadcasted on the Sun Digital Network. 

Original source can be found here.