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 5-Seed Lions MBB Wins Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Benton & Holcombe Lift Lions To 118-115 Double-Overtime Win Over 3-Seed Ave Maria (Photo: TSC)
5-Seed Lions MBB Wins Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Benton & Holcombe Lift Lions To 118-115 Double-Overtime Win Over 3-Seed Ave Maria - Mar 1, 2022 
In an instant classic of a game, Florida Memorial University completed its magical postseason run with an 118-115 double-overtime victory over 3-seed Ave Maria University Saturday night to win the 2022 Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship behind senior guard Corey Benton (6'2''-G)'s 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.Benton, who received All-Sun Conference First Team honors earlier this week, put on a virtuoso performance in the extra periods. Totaling just 11 points at the end of regulation, the Columbus, Ohio native scored 18 points in the extra 10 minutes - including draining the game-tying three-pointer at the end of the first overtime and what would be the final go-ahead layup for the Lions with 18 seconds left in the second OT. After Benton gave FMU (17-10) its 116-115 lead, Ave Maria University had one more offensive possession to potentially retake the lead. The Gyrenes (21-11) got two solid looks at three-pointers, but both went awry, and Lions guard Eric Hester (6'3''-G-1997) was able to come up with the biggest defensive rebound of the night. AMU quickly fouled Hester and he calmly sank a pair of free throws, giving Florida Memorial its 118-115 lead with four seconds remaining. Ave Maria missed the desperation heave it threw up as the buzzer sounded, cementing Lions' conference title. With the victory, FMU head coach Ansar Al-Ameen wins the SUN title in just his second appearance in the conference's postseason tourney. Also, by winning the Sun Conference Championship, Florida Memorial will receive the conference's automatic bid into the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament - which is set to start March 11th. While Benton's clutch performance Saturday earned him Tournament MVP honors, Lions senior forward Brent Holcombe (6'8''-F) turned in his best performance of the season - scoring a team-high 31 points and grabbing a team-best 12 rebounds. The Miami, Florida native was the force that kept FMU in the game as it trailed 39-34 at halftime and by as many as 11 in the second half, using his height and skill advantages to score in the paint against Ave Maria's smaller defenders. Holcombe and Benton combined to make keep the Lions' hopes alive at the end of regulation. As the Gyrenes clung to a three-point lead with just five seconds left in the second half, they elected to foul Benton as he tried to race up the court and likely shoot a potentially game-tying three-pointer. Benton drained the first shot to cut the deficit to two (86-84) and had to intentionally miss the second. Benton put up a high arching shot that bounced off the back of the rim, into the hands of Holcombe, and Holcombe easily laid up a put-back - tying the game at 86 with just over a second left on the clock. The first overtime wasn't good to Holcombe, though. He went 1-for-4 at the free throw line in the first extra period and missed his only shot before fouling as AMU held a 97-92 lead. With Holcombe sidelined, Benton took over - scoring FMU's final 11 points of the first OT as he played 47 of 50 available minutes. Ave Maria thought it had done enough to shake the Lions multiple times throughout both overtimes. Most of Benton's big shots came as counters to the big shots made by Gyrenes senior guard Eric Klekas (6'1''-G). Klekas drained tough turnaround jumpers, hit a big three pointer, and was perfect at the free throw line in overtime as he scored 35 of his game-high 43 points after halftime. While both teams got game-defining performances from their top players, they both also got standout contributions from its orbiting stars. Five total Florida Memorial players ended up scoring in double figures Saturday. Hester, who has been nursing a lower extremity injury throughout the tournament, finished with 25 points and 4 rebounds. Senior forward Cheikh Kebe (6'9''-F) had his best game of the season at the most opportune time, giving FMU 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a team-high 3 blocks while shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from the three-point line. Junior Jacobi Gordon (6'7''-F-1998) also chipped in with 13 points and 8 boards in 40 minutes. Inside The Box Score Benton had 11 points through the end of regulation and scored 18 points in the two overtime periods. Benton also totaled 8 assists and 2 steals while shooting 5-of-12 from three-point range. FMU shot 11-for-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range during the overtime periods. Cheikh Kebe went 7-of-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range - including a big shot from long range during the first overtime. Eric Hester notched 25 points on an efficient shooting night - going 8-for-12 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Florida Memorial shot 13-of-25 from the free throw line as a team while Ave Maria shot 21-for-28. AMU's Klekas recorded a game-high 43 points, shooting 15-of-24 from the field, 6-for-11 from three-point range, and 7-for-7 from the free throw line while playing all 50 available minutes. Five Gyrenes players recorded double digit point totals, with Daryl Lewis (6'2''-G) and Chayse Culpepper (6'1''-G) finishing behind Klekas with 24 and 22 respectively. Gordon contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds for the Lions. Analysis & Notes Benton was named the Sun Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player for his overall performance - totaling 66 points, 19 rebounds, and 16 assists FMU's three tournament wins. Also, Holcombe and Benton were named to the All-Tournament team. Al-Ameen won the Sun Conference Tournament championship in his second appearance in the postseason tourney. Saturday's championship game was Florida Memorial's third overtime game this season as the team improved to 3-0 in overtime games this year. Holcombe set new season-highs for points (31), field goals made (13) and attempted (25). Hester and Kebe each set new season-highs for points with their totals Saturday. 118 points set a new season-high for points scored in a game. FMU's three-game winning streak through the conference tourney was its second-longest win streak this season. The Lions had two players notch double-doubles - Benton and Holcombe - in the same for the first time this season. Benton matched his season-high point total (29) Saturday and set a new career-high for minutes played in a game (47). Florida Memorial improves to 17-10 overall this season. Ave Maria finishes its season 21-11. Up Next Florida Memorial will receive the Sun Conference's automatic bid into the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament, which is set to begin on March 11th, as its conference tournament champion. TSC Tournament Final: Ave Maria - Florida Memorial 115-118 TSC Tournament Semifinals: Southeastern - Ave Maria 64-84 Warner - Florida Memorial 68-71 Courtesy of thesunconference.com All-TSC Awards 2022 - Mar 1, 2022
All-Tournament MVP:  Corey Benton (6'2''-G) of Florida MemorialPlayer of the Year: Riley Minix (6'7''-SF) of SoutheasternFreshman of the Year: Josh Blazquez (5'10''-PG) of SoutheasternChampions of Character: Eric Klekas (6'1''-G) of Ave MariaCoach of the Year: Kevin Lubbers of Southeastern First Team Corey Benton (6'2''-G) of Florida Memorial Jordan Gorman (5'10''-PG) of Southeastern Eric Klekas (6'1''-G) of Ave Maria Daryl Lewis (6'2''-G) of Ave Maria Corevon Lott (6'1''-G) of Keiser Joseph Martz (5'11''-PG) of Warner Darryl Mercer (6'1''-G) of Warner Riley Minix (6'7''-SF) of Southeastern Jonas Parker (6'9''-F) of St. Thomas Dwayne Russell (6'8''-F) of St. ThomasSecond Team Jordan Booker (5'9''-PG) of Thomas Antwan Claxton (6'4''-F) of Keiser Chayse Culpepper (6'1''-G) of Ave Maria Brent Holcombe (6'8''-F) of Florida Memorial Reggie Mesidor (6'0''-PG) of Southeastern Jaylon Myles (6'3''-G) of Webber International Jordon Parks (6'3''-G) of Coastal Georgia Augustus Stone (6'4''-G) of St. Thomas Logan West (6'6''-F) of Warner Chris Whitaker (6'3''-G-1999) of St. ThomasAll-Academic Team Eric Klekas (6'1''-G) of Ave Maria David Harris of Ave Maria Kenny Brown (6'2''-G) of Coastal Georgia Jethro Tshisumpa (6'10''-F-1997) of Florida Memorial Antwan Claxton (6'4''-F) of Keiser Marko Radulovic (6'4''-G-1998) of Keiser Riley Minix (6'7''-SF) of Southeastern Manuel Buroz of St. Thomas Constantinos Constantinides (5'9''-PG-2001) of St. Thomas Kyle Feldman (5'10''-PG) of St. Thomas Darlex Lucien of St. Thomas Omarhiyon Malcolm of St. Thomas Robinson Normil (6'0''-PG) of St. Thomas Jordan Booker (5'9''-PG) of Thomas Deonta Jones of Thomas Jalil Webster (6'0''-PG) of Thomas Blaize Darling Jr. (6'3''-G) of Warner Tyrell Pendergast (6'6''-G) of Warner
All-Tournament Team Corey Benton (6'2''-G) of Florida Memorial Brent Holcombe (6'8''-F) of Florida Memorial Eric Klekas (6'1''-G) of Ave Maria Daryl Lewis (6'2''-G) of Ave MariaTags : COREY BENTON, FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY, NAIA BASKETBALL |
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