AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team won their fifth consecutive conference game on Thursday night, rolling past the Webber International University Warriors 73-52 at the Tom Golisano Field House. In the current winning streak, the Gyrenes have won all five games by double digits, and have amassed an average margin of victory of 21.2 points.

Ave Maria never trailed in their fourth consecutive victory over the Warriors, and led for all but 56 seconds of the contest. The Gyrenes led by as many as 12 points in the first half, holding leads of 21-9 and 31-19. The AMU lead never shrank below seven points for the final 14 minutes of the half, and a jumper from Fernando Salsamendi allowed the Gyrenes to take a 41-30 lead into halftime.

AMU's three-point shooting prowess was key in the first half, as the hosts shot 47.1 percent from long distance. The nation's leading three-point defensive team held serve on the other end of the floor, allowing the Warriors to make just two of their eleven attempts from beyond the arc. Leo Behrend led all scorers with 15 points in the first 20 minutes, while Tommie Luke was the leading scorer for the Warriors with nine points.

The Gyrenes' dominance continued into the second half, which saw Ave Maria outscore Webber 32-22. AMU led by at least ten points for all but 42 seconds, and built their lead to a maximum of 24 points. Ave Maria held Webber to just one made three-pointer in the second half, and outrebounded the Warriors to 25-15 to maximize their control of the conference contest.

In the win, Ave Maria held Webber to less than 0.7 points per possession, and forced 52 misses on 72 shots from the visitors. Webber shot 27.8 percent from the field, and made just three of 21 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Conversely, AMU knocked down eleven threes in the win, and held a rebounding advantage of 43-37. 

Leo Behrend was the game's top scorer, as the senior topped 20 points for the fifth consecutive game with a 23-point effort. Fernando Salsamendi and Marcus Montalvo each added 12 points, while Jovan Grujicic stuffed the stat sheet with four points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. Tommie Luke was the only Warrior to top ten points on Thursday night, as the guard logged 19 points on 17 shots. The other three Warriors to attempt ten or more shots - Ariel Watson, Javonni Quince, and Jaylon Myles - combined to miss 31 of their 35 shots.

Ave Maria now controls their own destiny for at least a share of The Sun Conference's regular season championship, thanks to a Coastal Georgia victory over Keiser. The Gyrenes will look to complete their first ever season sweep of the Warner University Royals on Saturday in Lake Wales. Tipoff between Ave Maria and Warner is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.