AVE MARIA, Fla. --- Trailing most of the second half, Greenan Sullivan nailed a three with 2.3 seconds remaining to secure a 81-80 win for the Ave Maria men's basketball team against the University of the Virgin Islands on Saturday afternoon.
Sullivan finished with 12 points on the night and made 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc. His pair of threes were just two of 12 that the Gyrenes made on the afternoon. They outscored UV 36-18 from three.
Gianpaolo Riccio led AMU in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Leo Behrend added 18 points. Riccio and Behrend each made three shots from deep. Romello Bates also scored in double-figures for the Gyrenes.
The Virgin Islands jumped out to an early lead, scoring the game's first seven points before a Riccio three snapped the run. A few minutes later and after a three by Behrend and another by Riccio the game was tied at nine.
Tied at 11, Behrend hit his second three of the game followed by a Jovan Grujicic layup gave AMU a five-point lead 7:29 into the first. With 5:21 to play in the first half, a three by Riccio gave AMU it's largest lead of the game at 33-27.
Over the last 5:21 of the first half, the UVI defense held AMU scoreless and used a 14-0 run to take a 41-33 advantage into halftime.
The second half began in AMU's favor with the Gyrenes opening the half on an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to one, 45-44. UVI answered every charge by the Blue and Green in the second half and with six minutes to play, a Buccaneer three, pushed the UVI lead to seven.
Trailing by six with 3:15 to play, Sullivan hit the first of his two threes to cut the UVI lead to three, 74-71. After a layup and-one conversion by Riccio with 1:10 to play, the Gyrenes trailed by two, 78-76. On the ensuing possession, AMU came up with a defensive stop that led to a Bates layup with 33 seconds to play to tie the game at 78.
After a UVI basket put AMU down two with 11 second remaining, Behrend pushed the ball down the court and found Sullivan in the corner who buried the three with 2.3 second left to give the Gyrenes a one-point edge. A turnover on the inbound play by UVI sealed the 81-80 win for AMU.
The two teams return to the court tomorrow for a 2 p.m. contest.
