MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in school history on Thursday night, rallying from a 17-point deficit with 13 minutes to go and a 14-point deficit with just over eight minutes to go to stun the St. Thomas University Bobcats, 60-55. The Gyrenes finished the game on a 34-12 run to win their fourth consecutive game and clinch a top three seed in The Sun Conference Tournament.

The first half was a low-scoring effort, as neither team shot the ball particularly well. Ave Maria took a 19-11 lead with under five minutes to play in the half, thanks to an 8-0 run that saw Leo Behrend and Caelen Watts both hit three-pointers. From there, though, the Bobcats outscored the Gyrenes 10-3 in the final 4:03 to get right back into the game. An and-one from Daejour Adderley accounted for the final three points of the half, pulling the Bobcats within one point, 22-21, heading into the halftime break. 

Ave Maria shot under 30 percent, both from the field (8-29) and from beyond the three-point arc (3-11), in the first half. Nine points from Behrend and five points from Watts accounted for 14 of AMU's 22 points, with no other player scoring more than two points. St. Thomas, who made only two three-pointers in 14 attempts in the opening 20 minutes, also spread their scoring around, with no player scoring more than six points.

St. Thomas roared out of the gates in the second half, starting the frame on a 22-4 run to build a 43-26 lead with 13 minutes to play. From there, the Gyrenes immediately scored the next eight points to cut the STU lead back to nine with ten minutes to play. St. Thomas increased their lead back to 14 with 8:16 to play, but another AMU run, this time of 11-0, got the Gyrenes back within striking distance and set the stage for a dramatic finish.

Down eight with 4:03 left and five with 2:10 left, the Gyrenes used their three-point shooting to complete the comeback. Behrend nailed a three-pointer with 1:51 left to pull AMU within two, and Caelen Watts gave the Gyrenes the lead with 39 seconds left on a three of his own. The Gyrenes then forced a turnover, leading to a Behrend dunk. A last-ditch effort from Antoine Joe missed the mark, and Behrend made two free throws to seal the comeback. In total, the Gyrenes made their last six three-pointers, and shot 75 percent from the field in the final eight minutes.

Behrend was the game's leading scorer in the improbable comeback, logging 20 points and pulling down six rebounds. Gianpaolo Riccio, who caught fire during the comeback, made three of his six three-point attempts en route to a 17-point performance. Watts, who also hit three triples, added 13 points. Philip Saunders paced the Bobcats with 15 points, all coming from three-point territory.

Entering the final game of the regular season, the Gyrenes sit in a tie for second place with Southeastern. Ave Maria heads to Miami Gardens on Saturday for a meeting with Florida Memorial, while the Fire will play St. Thomas. The right results for AMU would give them a first round bye in The Sun Conference Tournament. If a bye is not earned, the Gyrenes will play at home in the conference tournament as part of a first-ever conference tournament doubleheader in the Tom Golisano Field House.