MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team continued their winning ways on Saturday evening, shooting past the St. Thomas University Bobcats 88-68 in Miami Gardens. The Gyrenes, who have now won seven of their last eight games, made eleven three-pointers in the first half and built a 30-point lead that the host Bobcats could not overcome. With the win, Ave Maria claimed the season series over STU, and stayed in second place in The Sun Conference with two weeks left in the regular season.
Trailing 3-2 two minutes into the game, the Gyrenes began a shooting barrage that would eventually bury the Bobcats. Over the next 18 minutes, the Gyrenes would make eleven of 18 three-point attempts, building a lead that would grow as large as 26 points, including the halftime score of 55-29. That 3-2 lead would prove to be the final lead of the game for St. Thomas.
Five different Gyrenes made at least one long range try, led by five from senior Eric Klekas. Lucas Uzdavinis, Jose Sanchez, Fernando Salsamendi, and Chayse Culpepper also made at least one. From the field, AMU shot 61.1 percent, while holding the Bobcats to a 32.4 percent mark.
St. Thomas outscored the Gyrenes 39-33 in the second half, but found themselves in too large a hole to ever truly threaten a comeback. The closest the Bobcats would come was 16 points, a 66-50 score with 13 minutes remaining. Ave Maria would respond with an 11-2 run over the next four minutes, pushing the lead back to 25 and extinguishing any momentum from STU.
Ave Maria again shot better than 50 percent - 54.5 percent - from the field in the second half, while St. Thomas' 47.1 percent mark in the final 20 minutes was powered a 65 percent clip inside the arc.
Klekas added one three-pointer in the second half, and the senior ended the contest with a game-high 26 points. The Elko, Nevada native made six of his eight three-point attempts, and 10 of 13 shots overall. Off the bench, Jose Sanchez added 17 points on nine shots, while Chayse Culpepper had 16 points on ten shots. Fernando Salsamendi was similarly efficient, scoring 14 points on eight shots.
St. Thomas had two players in double figures, as Chris Whitaker and Dwayne Russell both had 12 points. STU's top four seasons scorers - Whitaker, Russell, Quinterious Jones, and Justyn Rogers - combined to score just 28 points on 32 shots.
Attention now shifts to Thursday night, as Ave Maria will have a chance to remain alive in the hunt for The Sun Conference regular season title. AMU will head to Lake Wales for a meeting with the Warner University Royals, who hold a two-game lead over the Gyrenes for first place.
Warner, who holds a 10-0 record at home this season, knocked off Ave Maria 85-82 on January 9. An AMU win would cut that margin to one game with three to play, while a Warner win would all but secure the regular season title for the Royals. Tipoff in Lake Wales is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
