AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria men's basketball team moved to 3-3 in Sun Conference play, topping the Johnson and Wales Wildcats 82-64 in North Miami on Thursday night. The Gyrenes enter the weekend tied for third place in the conference with three other schools.

The first half proved to be the difference in AMU's 18-point triumph, as the Gyrenes outscored the Wildcats 49-27 in the opening 20 minutes. Ave Maria shot 65.4% from the field, and knocked down eight of their ten three-pointers. Johnson and Wales was held to 32.4% shooting in the opening frame, and made just two of 12 shots from long distance. AMU cruised to the victory despite losing the second half to the Wildcats, 37-33.

Six Gyrenes were in double figures, led by Josh Flowers. Flowers hit four three-pointers en route to a 20-point outing. Caelen Watts added 18 points, and Tejai Allen (13), Deonte Dixon (11), and Exor Torres (10) topped the ten point threshold in the victory. Allen was the team's leading rebounder, pulling down six boards. He also had seven assists in the victory. In total, the Gyrenes shot a stellar 70.6% from three-point distance, missing just five of 17 attempts. The Gyrenes also journeyed to the free throw line 25 times in the win, making 16.

Ricardo Suarez paced the Wildcats in the losing effort with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Gino Fils-Aime added 12 points, while TJ Johnson scored ten.

Ave Maria's stretch of five consecutive road games to start 2017 reaches the home stretch on Saturday, the fourth game of the trip. The Gyrenes battle Warner in Lake Wales, a rematch of a game the Gyrenes lost at the overtime buzzer back on December 3. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. After a non-conference matchup on Tuesday against Florida College, Ave Maria will return home a week from tonight against current conference front runner Florida Memorial.