WICHITA, Kan. - The sixth-seeded Friends University Falcons saw their season come to an end today (Mar. 14) with a 108-102 loss to the third-seeded Ave Maria University Gyrenes in the second round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament.
The Falcons held a five-point lead at halftime after a red-hot shooting performance that included 13 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes. However, Ave Maria outscored Friends 49-38 in the second half, using a late push and strong offensive rebounding to secure the victory.
Friends started the game in dominant fashion, racing out to a 25-9 run in the first five minutes and building a 16-point lead. The early surge was fueled by seven three-pointers, including four from Cahlese Lee during the opening stretch.
Ave Maria worked its way back into the game, trimming the deficit to 40-30 with 8:13 remaining in the first half. Despite the Gyrenes' push, the Falcons maintained control behind an outstanding performance from Lee. Friends entered halftime with a 64-59 advantage.
Lee scored 23 points in the first half alone, knocking down seven three-pointers. As a team, the Falcons shot an impressive 64.9 percent from the field and 61.9 percent from three-point range, hitting 13 triples. Ave Maria kept pace offensively, shooting 71.0 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three while making nine three-pointers in the high-scoring contest.
Friends carried its momentum into the second half, extending the lead to 78-69 five minutes in behind key three-pointers from Al Emerllahu and Owen Evans. The Falcons later pushed their lead to as many as 11 points with 8:30 remaining in regulation.
However, Ave Maria's persistent offense and dominance on the offensive glass sparked a late comeback. The Gyrenes gradually closed the gap and eventually overtook the Falcons. Friends kept the game within reach in the final minutes, but clutch free throws from Ave Maria sealed the 108-102 win.
With the victory, Ave Maria advances to the Round of 16 next week in Kansas City, Missouri.
Despite the loss, several Falcons delivered standout performances in the season finale. In their final appearances for Friends, Cahlese Lee and Al Emerllahu each recorded career highs. Lee finished with 32 points, hitting 8-of-10 from beyond the arc to tie the program's single-game record for three-pointers made. Emerllahu added 22 points, connecting on 6-of-10 from three-point range while also grabbing six rebounds. Randy Woolf, Jr. narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 12 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. Off the bench, Devin Davis scored a season-high 17 points and added two steals.
Sophomore Owen Evans contributed nine points, including three three-pointers, along with four assists and three steals, to cap off his second season with the Falcons.
As a team, the Falcons shot 54.4 percent from the field (37-of-68) and a season-best 52.6 percent from three-point range (20-of-38). Their 20 made three-pointers set both a season high for the Falcons and a new NAIA Tournament single-game record. Friends also recorded 22 assists on their 37 made field goals.
Defensively, the Falcons forced Ave Maria into 14 turnovers, collecting nine steals and converting those opportunities into 26 points.
Under head coach Phil McClintock, Friends finishes the season with a 26-7 record. The 26 victories mark the program's highest win total since the 2013-14 season.
