AVE MARIA, Fla. --- Ave Maria gave the ninth-ranked St. Thomas Bobcats a run in the first half but were overpowered over the final 20 minutes in a 80-50 loss on Thursday night. Ave Maria concludes the season on Saturday when they host Florida Memorial at 2 p.m.
 
Ave Maria used a solid defensive effort in the opening half to hold St. Thomas to 29 points and went into halftime trailing by eight, 29-21. The Bobcats outscored the Gyrenes 51-29 in the second to pull away.
 
Jonathan Simmons led AMU with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from three. Jovan Grujicic added nine points while Gianpaolo Riccio finished with seven points.
 
While the Gyrenes didn't shoot the ball well on the night, just 28.8 percent from the field compared to 50.8 percent from St. Thomas, the Bobcats also held a big edge in rebounding, grabbing 46 rebounds compared to 21 by AMU.
 
It took both teams several minutes to get going with a three-pointer by Simmons giving the Gyrenes a 7-6 lead nearly six minutes into the game. AMU kept within striking distance in the first half and trailed by two with a few minutes to play before a few late baskets by St. Thomas made it 29-21 at the break.
 
After shooting 45 percent and making one three in the first half, St. Thomas shot 54 percent and made six from behind the arc in the second to slowly pull away from AMU. The Gyrenes made five threes in the second to stay close to the Bobcats but weren't able to get enough shots to drop as St. Thomas extended their lead.