AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit, and completed a dramatic come-from-behind victory with a 105-94 win over the Webber International University Warriors on Saturday at the Tom Golisano Field House. It was the first meeting of the season between the two teams, with a return trip scheduled for February 16 in Babson Park, which will serve as the regular season finale.
 
The Gyrenes came out firing in the first half, knocking down seven three-pointers in the game's first 12 minutes. Exor Torres led the long-range attack, hitting four of his five from beyond the arc. Torres scored 16 points in the first half, hitting a foul line jumper to go with his four threes. Deonte Dixon and Eric Richardson also contributed to the hot shooting with threes of their own.
 
Unfortunately for the Gyrenes, the Warriors responded by pounding the ball inside. Post players Jovany Deceus and Johnathan Childs combined for 28 first half points, and the Warriors outscored the Gyrenes 38-2 in the paint in the opening twenty minutes. The close-range shots contributed to the Warriors' .610 shooting percentage in the opening frame. Webber's post attack was prevalent in a 17-2 run during the later portion of the first half, turning a three-point Gyrene lead into a 12-point edge for Webber. The Gyrenes battled back to close the gap to ten, 53-43, at halftime.
 
In the second half, the Gyrenes fought back to within one possession on a number of occasions throughout the period, but initially could not close the gap past two or three points. Webber had extended the lead out to seven with 5:43 to play when the Gyrenes started their game-winning surge.
 
From that point, Ave went on an 8-0 run to take a 87-86 lead with 4:25 to go. A jumper from Torres gave AMU its first lead since midway through the first half. The lead went back and forth three more times from there before Ave took the lead for good on a Caelen Watts three with 2:26 to go. Including Watts' three, the Gyrenes went on a 16-4 run in the final three minutes of the contest. Ave Maria put the game away with 39 seconds left, when Tejai Allen hit a stepback jumper to make the lead seven points.
 
Torres had a career game for the Gyrenes, scoring 28 points and hitting a career-high five threes. He also had three steals, one of which led to an and-one in the game's final minutes. Deonte Dixon added 23, which came primarily on a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line. Tejai Allen had a double-double, his fifth of the season, with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Watts added 18 of his own. As a team, Ave Maria hit 11 three-pointers and went 22-of-25 from the foul line.
 
Webber's post players, Deceus and Childs, combined for 44 points in the losing effort.
 
Ave Maria returns to the court on Thursday, hosting legendary coach Rollie Massimino and the Keiser University Seahawks at the Tom Golisano Field House. It is the second in a stretch of Ave Maria's final four home games of the season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Ave Maria.