MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Airneisha Gamble scored 15 points to lead all 11 of the Florida Memorial University players who recorded points Thursday as the Lady Lions rallied from a double-digit third-quarter deficit to earn a hard-fought 66-64 victory over visiting Ave Maria University in the FMU Wellness Center.
 
FMU (11-11, 6-6 Sun Conference) began its rally after falling behind 54-42 with 41 seconds left in the third quarter. The Lions closed the quarter with a 5-0 spurt and built on that momentum to go on an elongated 14-2 run to tie the game at 56 with just under eight minutes left in the game. The teams then traded baskets and stayed within two points of each other through the final buzzer.
 
Trailing 64-63, the Lady Lions got what ended up being the game-winning bucket from Gamble when she banked in a contested layup with 11 seconds left on the clock thanks to a play that FMU head coach Gregory Stanback drew up in a timeout.
 
The Gyrenes had a chance to retake the lead on their ensuing possession, but turned the ball over on a traveling violation. Florida Memorial pushed its lead to 66-64 with four seconds left after senior Isis Lane sank one of two free throws. Ave Maria tried a desperation heave from just across half court as the final buzzer sounded, but it fell well short of the basket – cementing FMU's victory.
 
Thursday's game showed what the Lady Lions are capable of. Not only in the rallying back from the second-half deficit, but in their balanced scoring effort – something that Stanback had been hoping his team would tap into for the past few weeks.
 
Gamble's 15 points kept in line with her recent string of games with 10 or more points. But it was contributions like Nashley Zayas' 10 points; freshman Ixsamar Gonzalez's nine points and six rebounds off the bench; Brittney Howard's seven; and Shawnice King – who returned to the Lions' lineup after missing the past four games with a lower extremity injury – with four points in nine minutes.
 
With the win Thursday, the Lady Lions also kept a firm grasp on their say-so in terms of their postseason destiny. Florida Memorial already sits in the sixth – and final qualifying – spot in the Sun Conference standings and did themselves a favor by knocking off the Gyrenes (14-8, 7-5), which had four players score in double figures but played most of the fourth quarter without leading scorer Sarah Miller.
 

Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@FMUWBB | Twitter: @GoFMULions | YouTube: Official FMU Lions