FMU To Travel To Ave Maria Tuesday For TSC Tournament Opening Round

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (7-16) at Ave Maria University Gyrenes (19-10)
When: Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Where: Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla. | Rhodora J. Donahue Gym
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Last Meeting: Feb. 4, 2021, Loss 87-98
Live Stream: Link
Live Stats: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Making its first appearance in the Sun Conference Postseason Tournament under head coach Ansar Al-Ameen, Florida Memorial University's men's basketball team will be looking to start a "Cinder-fella" run through the tourney when it travels to face Ave Maria University Tuesday night in the opening round of the TSC Tournament.

Tuesday's game is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off and will be played at the Rhodora J. Donahue Gym. Per Ave Maria's health and safety protocols, only a limited number of home fans will be permitted to attend. Fans will be able to watch the game via a free online live stream.

The Lions (7-16) took full advantage of The Sun Conference's decision to expand the number of teams that qualify its postseason tournament this season – from six to eight – earning the 7-seed after downed rival St. Thomas University – for the third time this season – this past Saturday in their regular season finale.

With the win over the Bobcats, Florida Memorial not only snapped a four-game losing streak but it also gave its seniors – Sam Mack Jr. and Ebenezer Aboagye – a victory in their last home regular season game. The Lions also snapped a streak of games where it shot below 30 percent from three-point range this past Saturday, as they knocked down 7-of-15 shots from long distance – a 47 percent clip.

Mack tied for the game-high point total with 23 and did so efficiently as he manufactured his points on 9-for-12 overall shooting and 2-for-3 from three-point range. Aubrey Washington added 19 points (3-for-5 from three-point) and Mubashar Ali recorded his 12th double-double of the season – totaling 16 points and 14 rebounds.

In facing 2-seed Ave Maria Tuesday, FMU will be facing a team that it hasn't defeated this season. The Gyrenes (19-10) won the three regular season meetings by an average margin of 9 points and each game has generally followed similar scripts – high-scoring affairs that sees Ave Maria pull away from the Lions over the final minutes of the game.

The most recent matchup between the two – Feb. 4th's meeting – was a clashing of contrasting physical styles. FMU, already the tallest team in the Sun Conference, added more size with the addition of 7-foot-2 freshman Nicodemo Majuec and 6-foot-10 graduate transfer Jethro Tshisumpa, making it difficult for teams to score inside. However, the Gyrenes are a more perimeter-oriented team that is comfortable launching shots from long range – evident by the 27 three-pointers they took in the game, 11 of which they made.

Success for FMU's men remains a simple formula – take care of the ball (limit turnovers) and make shots, especially from three-point range. Turnovers have been a bugaboo for the Lions as has its three-point point shooting and the lack of shooting limits the amount of space that Ali, Tshisumpa, and Majuec have to operate in the post as defenders can collapse in the paint.

If Mack can provide a scoring boost from the perimeter – like he did this past Saturday – and the Lions can get a tangible contribution from Washington, Terence Clayton or Muhammad Gilchrist, it wouldn't be shocking to see FMU upend the 2-seed Gyrenes.

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