AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball kept rolling on Tuesday night, winning their fourth consecutive Sun Conference contest with a 79-67 triumph over the St. Thomas University Bobcats. The win avenged one of AMU's earlier losses this season, and kept the Gyrenes alone in second place in The Sun Conference. Ave Maria used a 45-29 advantage in the second half, as well as a few clutch shots down the stretch, to topple the Bobcats.
The Gyrenes started fast against St. Thomas, building an eleven-point lead of 16-5 less than eight minutes into the contest. The Bobcats steadied the ship quickly, and had turned the double digit deficit into a 27-26 lead less than five minutes later. The game remained within four points for the remainder of the half, with a layup from STU's Jacob Ray giving the Bobcats a 38-34 heading into halftime.
Ave Maria shot the ball better than 50 percent (51.9) in the first half, but were hurt by a 1-for-10 mark from three-point territory and seven misses in 12 tries from the free throw line. The Gyrenes leaned on Fernando Salsamendi in the first half, as the reigning Sun Conference Player of the Week scored 12 points, making five of his six shots. St. Thomas was paced by Chris Whitaker, who scored 14 points on nine shots in just his third game.
In the second half, the Gyrenes dominated out of the gate to build another double digit lead. After trailing 46-44 with 16:36 on the clock, AMU proceeded to go on a 16-3 run to open up a 60-49 lead. The Bobcats would not go away, getting back within five with 2:16 on the clock. However, a key three-pointer from Eric Klekas with 1:32 left pushed the lead back to eight, and sparked a 7-0 run to conclude the game.
AMU was able to overcome a cold shooting night from the perimeter, as the Gyrenes made just four of their 19 long distance tries. The Gyrenes made up for it by getting to the basket, shooting 75 percent from inside the arc and getting to the line to the tune of 33 free throw attempts. AMU also outrebounded the Bobcats, 38-35.
Five Gyrenes were in double figures in the win, led by 21 points and 18 from Klekas. Matt Gillis had 14 points, while Chayse Culpepper had an efficient day with eleven points on six shots. Off the bench, Jose Sanchez made four of his five shots to finish with ten points. The game's high scorer was STU's Chris Whitaker, who had 24 points.
Next on the schedule for the Gyrenes are the Mariners from the College of Coastal Georgia. Ave Maria has controlled the series against Coastal Georgia, winning five in a row dating back to the 2018-19. The win streak includes the 2019 Sun Conference Tournament Championship Game, as well as a victory, 86-73, in Brunswick earlier this season. Tipoff between the Gyrenes and the Mariners is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium in Ave Maria.
