Falcons Win 3rd Straight Behind Bittar's 28

AVE MARIA, Fla. - The Florida College Falcons kept on winning Tuesday night, this time in a tough environment on the road against the Gyrenes of Ave Maria University.

The Gyrenes came out hot at home. The Falcons trailed by seven with 8:38 remaining in the first half. From that point, the Falcons used a 19-3 run over the next four minutes to take a nine-point lead. Ave would battle back, cutting the lead to just two at the half, 42-40 Falcons lead.

In the second half, the Gyrenes would keep it close, but never took the lead. FC extended their lead to 12, the largest of the night, with 4 minutes and change left after two Bittar free-throws. Ave Maria would claw back again, however, forcing a foul-out by FC starting guard Phat Cleveland with just over 3-minutes left. The Falcons would hand over a couple of turnovers and allowed a couple of three's and layups to be made against them to keep the game exciting late. The difference ended up being from the foul line, where FC shot a season-best 22-of-24. The free throws proved critical down the stretch, and the road team got stops when it needed them most. FC would hold on, 97-91 for the victory.

"I'm really proud of our team," said Head Coach Chase Teichmann. "This is another good win for us. Ave is really talented and Jamon does a really good job. It is not easy to beat this team in this gym. We made some poor decisions late but I am proud of the runs we made tonight and how we weathered the storm. It was a really fun game to coach and watch these talented players go back and forth."

(On the play of freshman guard Anthony Bittar)

"What can you say? He was terrific," said Teichmann. "Nights like tonight are why we recruited him. He's a great ball-handler, creator, and finisher. He is really coachable. He's got a good three-point shot and has great size at the guard position. He is going to be a special player. We are going to need him to play well down the stretch for us to accomplish our goals. He is very important to what we do. I'm happy for him, proud of him and his teammates. We are lucky to have him in Falcon red."

Bittar led FC in scoring with a career-high 28 points. Bittar also snagged 10 rebounds to record the double-double. Bittar has a couple of other double-doubles on the year already, plus a triple-double just a few weeks ago. Chinedu Okonkwo continued his strong play, recording his own double-double of 20 points and 15 boards. Matt Simpson tallied 13 points and 9 rebounds. Phat Cleveland stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points and 13 assists, a career-high for him. DJ Doakes added 12 points in just 15 minutes, battling foul trouble most of the game. All five Falcon starters reached the double-figure mark.

This is the third game in a row for FC to reach the 90+ scoring mark. It is the third win in a row for Florida College. The win puts the RV Falcons at 21-3. Ave Maria drops to 15-9. This is the 4th win in a row for FC over AMU. FC is 4-0 in the Teichmann era against the Gyrenes, while the Gyrenes own the season series 17-7 overall.

Up next, the Falcons will travel to Crowley's Ridge College in Paragould, Arkansas. CRC will host a CAC Classic. FC will take on the Pioneers and also Iowa Wesleyan University. The Falcons are currently the number one ranked team in the CAC and will look to keep it that way this weekend.