AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team pulled off an improbable comeback on Saturday evening, erasing a 16-point second half deficit, and a 15-point deficit with under seven minutes to play, to beat the St. Thomas University Bobcats, 80-76, at Donahue Gym. The win kept Ave Maria's hopes for a Sun Conference regular season title alive, and kept AMU even in the loss column with Southeastern and Warner at the top of the league standings.
There wasn't much separation between the teams in the first 16 minutes of the game, as neither team was able to lead by more than four points. The first major run of the game was provided by the Bobcats in the final four minutes of the first half, going on a 12-4 to extend a four-point lead to 12 at the end of the first half, 42-30. St. Thomas' halftime lead was powered mostly by an advantage from the field, as the Bobcats shot 42.1 percent total and 31.3 percent from three, while the Gyrenes were at 34.2 and 20 percent, respectively.
St. Thomas looked to be in full control early in the second half, holding a 16-point lead on two occasions. The Gyrenes never got closer than ten points in the first 13 points of the half, as the Bobcats looked to be poised for a season sweep of the Gyrenes. However, the Gyrenes would have one final run in them to make it a new game down the stretch
The Ave Maria rally started with 7:22 on the clock, when a Chris Whitaker jumper gave the Bobcats a 71-56 lead. St. Thomas would make just one field goal over the next six minutes, as Ave Maria got the STU lead down to two, 73-71. Jonas Parker hit a three to get STU's lead back to five with 1:25 left, but two AMU scores in under ten seconds cut it back to one. After an STU turnover, Eric Klekas drilled a three-pointer with 16 seconds left, giving Ave Maria their first lead of the half. Whitaker missed a game-tying layup, and Klekas sealed the win with two free throws.
Despite a major size advantage for the Bobcats, the Gyrenes pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, and earned eight extra possessions thanks to an edge in both offensive rebounds and turnovers. Ave Maria won despite making just six three-pointers on 28 attempts, and shot 55.9 percent from the field in the second half.
Klekas was sensational on Saturday, pouring in 30 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Two other Gyrenes were in double figures, as Chayse Culpepper scored 12 points and Jose Sanchez added eleven.
In the final week of the season, the Gyrenes will need two wins, as well as a Southeastern loss to Keiser on Thursday, to claim the Sun Conference regular season title, and the hosting duties for The Sun Conference Tournament that comes with it. The first of those games for the Gyrenes will essentially be an elimination game for the conference title, as the Gyrenes head to Lake Wales for a meeting with the Warner University Royals, who sit 11-4 in the conference. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
