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Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

FMU player
Charles Bethel Jr.
85
Winner Warner University WUM 11-3, 9-3 TSC
78
Florida Memorial University FMUM 5-10, 5-7 TSC
Winner
Warner University WUM
11-3, 9-3 TSC
85
Final
78
Florida Memorial University FMUM
5-10, 5-7 TSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Warner University WUM 30 40 15 85
Florida Memorial University FMUM 28 42 8 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

Ali Goes For 31, FMU Battles But Falls To Warner In Overtime

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Moral victories always ring hollow when because of the end result.
 
Florida Memorial University's men's basketball team played some of its most spirited basketball this season, led by senior Mubashar Ali's season-high 31 points, and stood toe-to-toe with the Sun Conference's No. 1 team before falling 85-78 in overtime to Warner University Tuesday night in the FMU Wellness Center.
 
Tuesday's game, the Lions' second contest to go into overtime this season, was a makeup for the originally scheduled January 2nd meeting between the programs.
 
A nip and tuck battle throughout, Florida Memorial clung to a 70-67 lead with just under a minute-and-a-half left in regulation. The teams traded missed baskets on back-to-back possessions before Warner University tied the game on a Joseph Martz three-pointer with 11 seconds left.
 
FMU, which will travel to face Webber International University this coming Thursday, did have a shot to win it in regulation and pull off the upset. Lions head coach Ansar Al-Ameen drew up a play that freed up junior Andrew Drugan for a three-pointer in the corner, but his shot couldn't find the bottom of the net – sending the game to overtime tied at 70.
 
Warner took the momentum early in the overtime period, knocking down a three-pointer on its first possession. FMU did have a chance to possibly break their momentum – trailing 77-75 with 1:28 left after a Cheikh Kebe layup, the Lions needed a stop. Instead, Warner was able to knock down another three-pointer, extending its lead to 80-75 and essentially putting a dagger in FMU's hopes of an upset bid.
 
The Royals (12-3, 10-3) eventually opened up an 85-75 lead on the Lions – after consecutive misses by FMU on the offensive end – before Rodney Guillory sank a three-pointer just before the final buzzer to cut the final deficit to 85-78.
 
Ali's 31 points – which was two shy of his career-high single-game point total – led all scorers. The 7-footer also set season highs in field goals made (13), field goals attempted (22), and minutes played (41) while finishing just one rebound shy of recording a double-double.
 
Kebe did record a double-double for FMU (5-11, 5-8 The Sun Conference), finishing with 19 points and 10 boards (shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line).
 
No other FMU player finished in double digits. Italo Ciccotti, who left the game early in the second half with a lower extremity injury, finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Guillory and Aubrey Washington each chipped in 6 points while guard Murrad Berrien contributed 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and played tough defense on Warner's leading scorer Rod Boggan.
 
Boggan shot just 4-for-15 from the field and committed 6 turnovers as Berrien played him step-for-step much when the two were matched up.
 
Florida Memorial did win the rebound battle (43-33) and committed fewer turnovers than Warner, but the Lions' shooting woes continued as it shot 43 percent from the field and 27 percent from three-point range compared to 50 percent and 38 percent respectively for the Royals.
 
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