TRINITY, Fla. --- The Ave Maria men's basketball team overcame a tough night shooting to open the 2014-15 season with a 57-52 win at Trinity College (Fla.). Trailing by five, 52-47, with 3:07 remaining, the Blue and Green closed the game on a 10-0 run to secure the victory.
 
Akii Dean led three Gyrenes in double-figures with 14 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and tallied four steals. Wendell Powell and Brandon Pasker each finished with 10 points. Jelani Bonner nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, 34 percent by AMU compared to 30.2 percent by Trinity, but the Gyrenes held a 19-to-9 advantage at the free throw line which proved to be the difference.
 
The Blue and Green came out firing, using an early 11-0 run capped by an Akii Dean three to take a 14-3 advantage just over five minutes into the game. Trinity used the three-point ball to chip away at the Gyrenes' lead to make the score 29-27 in favor of AMU at the break. Trinity made five first half three-pointers and 11 on the game.
 
Trinity took advantage of the Gyrenes' struggles from the floor to start the second half and held a 36-34 lead on the Blue and Green with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Gyrenes' deficit grew to as large as nine, 47-38, before AMU made 5-of-6 free throws, four in a row by Ralph Erickson, to get within four.
 
After Trinity hit a three to make the score 50-45 with 4:43 remaining, AMU scored 12 of the next 14 points to grab the come-from-behind win.
 
AMU outscored Trinity 28-8 in the paint.
 
Ave Maria will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Clearwater, Fla., to take on Clearwater Christian in a 7 p.m. matchup.