AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit to win their eighth conference game of the season, a 66-56 triumph over the Thomas University Night Hawks. The Gyrenes have now won three conference games after trailing at halftime, and have twice erased a deficit of at least 15 points to win a league contest.
The Gyrenes were ice-cold for the majority of the first half, as Thomas was able to build a 37-25 halftime lead. Ave Maria shot just 26.3 percent from three-point territory in the opening 20 minutes, while Thomas' Desean Enzor scored 17 points to lead the way for Thomas. The Night Hawks went on a 15-0 run over a five-minute period, turning a 13-8 Gyrene lead into a 23-13 edge for the visitors. Thomas' biggest lead of the first half was 14 points, coming when a Trint Bryant and-one extended the Night Hawks' lead to 31-17.
Enzor's 17 points were buoyed by a 23-14 rebounding edge for Thomas in the first half. Leo Behrend was the only Gyrene with more than four points in the opening 20 minutes, as the senior scored eight points. The Night Hawks also shot 90 percent from the free throw line in the first, making nine of their ten attempts while keeping the Gyrenes from shooting a single foul shot.
After trailing by 15 points with 19 minutes to play, the Gyrene comeback truly began following an Enzor jumper with 16:16 left gave Thomas a 42-28 lead. From there, Ave Maria went on a 18-2 run until a Jeffrey Steel three-pointer gave AMU the lead with 6:02 on the clock. A three-pointer from Fernando Salsamendi gave Ave Maria the lead for good with 4:48 remaining, and a three-pointer from Behrend with 2:25 left and two ensuing stops allowed Ave to put the game away.
Ave Maria made five of eleven three-point attempts in the second half, making the same amount as the first half on eight fewer attempts. The Gyrenes also shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, while holding the Night Hawks to a 30.8 percent mark. AMU, who leads the nation in opposing three-point percentage, held the Night Hawks to just two three-pointers on 16 attempts, a 12.5 percent mark.
Behrend capped a stellar week with 24 points and eight rebounds, leading the Gyrenes to their fourth straight win in the series with Thomas. Salsamendi added 14 points off the bench, while freshman Marcus Montalvo scored ten points and came up with four steals. Enzor did the heavy lifting for Thomas, scoring 28 points on just 12 shots. Enzor was 10-for-11 from the foul line, and came up one rebound short of a double-double.
Two crucial games await the Gyrenes on the road next week - a matchup with Florida Memorial on Thursday and a chance to avenge one of three conference losses against St. Thomas on Saturday. Tipoff against the Lions is set for 7:30 p.m. in Miami Gardens.
