TAKOMA PARK, Md.- The Ave Maria University basketball team came up just short on Wednesday night, falling 85-79 to No. 11 Washington Adventist University at the WAU Gymnasium. The loss was the first of the season for the 13th ranked Gyrenes, who started the season with eight consecutive victories before falling on the road to the Shock.

Ave Maria roared out of the game in Takoma Park, taking a 10-2 lead in the first 3:30 of the contest on six points from Lucas Uzdavinis and four points from Jeffrey Steel. The Gyrenes led by as many as eleven points in the opening 20 minutes, holding a 38-27 lead with 3:09 to play in the half. Washington Adventist scored the final nine points of the opening period to cut the AMU lead down to two, 38-36, heading into the halftime break.

The Gyrenes shot slightly better in the first half, shooting 41 percent from the field to 35 percent for Washington Adventist. AMU held a 15-6 advantage in points on three-pointers, making five of 15 attempts. Fernando Salsamendi was Ave's leading scorer in the first half with eleven points, while the Shock were paced by     Justin Davis, who had ten points.

Washington Adventist took the lead for good in the second half on a three-pointer from Dwayne Garner with 4:19 to play. The Shock built their lead up to seven in the final three minutes, but AMU was able to cut the lead to two on three occasions in the final 100 seconds. Despite the Gyrene comeback attempt, the Shock sealed the win by scoring two points on each of their final four possessions.

The Shock overcame a lower shooting percentage than the Gyrenes by attempting 16 and making ten more free throws than Ave Maria. AMU made nine three-pointers on the night, while the Shock knocked down just three. Washington Adventist also was active on the defensive end of the floor, turning 15 Ave Maria turnovers into 22 points, while AMU managed just six points off turnovers.

Salsamendi scored 24 points off the bench to lead the scoring for Ave Maria. Leo Behrend followed close behind with 22, while Steel rounded out the team's double figure scorers with ten points. Garner was the top performer for the Shock, scoring 24 points on just 12 shots. Three other WAU players were in double figures, including Xavier Sewell, Justin Davis, and Elijah Maynard. 

AMU returns to action on Saturday for an exhibition game in Daytona Beach against Embry-Riddle. The next conference game for the Gyrenes comes on Thursday, when a battle of top-20 teams will see Ave Maria host No. 18 Warner.