WALESKA, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team finished the weekend 2-0 on Saturday, rolling to a 89-75 victory over former Sun Conference foe Thomas University. The Gyrenes put together a second dominant performance, trailing for less than a minute against the Night Hawks in the neutral floor matchup on the campus of Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.

After some early trading of the lead, the Gyrenes took the lead at 6-5, and never relinquished the lead with the exception of a 27-27 lead later in the half. Jack Watkins' layup to give Ave Maria the lead started a 19-6 run, putting AMU up 23-11 with 9:52 to play in the half. 

Thomas rallied to even the game at 27 with 6:54 to play in the half, but the Gyrenes had another big run up their sleeves. In the final seven minutes, Ave Maria scored 25 points to just six for the Night Hawks. The run was capped off by a Michael Klekas three that increased the Gyrene lead to 52-33 at the halftime break.

Ave Maria's 19 point halftime lead was powered by a major advantage on the glass, as well as the team's efficiency on offense. The Gyrenes outrebounded the Night Hawks by a 23-9 margin in the first half, including a rebound on eight of the team's 16 misses. As a team, Ave Maria shot 54.3 percent from the field, and were even better from close range, making 14 of 23 two-point attempts.

The Gyrenes got the lead north of 20 points on the first possession of the second half, going up 21 on a Jack Watkins layup. Although Thomas did outscore the Gyrenes in the second half, the majority of that difference came in the final five minutes with Ave Maria's starters on the bench. Ave Maria was able to cruise for much of the second half, emerging with an 89-75 win and a 2-0 start.

Klekas led the Gyrenes with 22 points, and added eleven rebounds for a double-double. Jack Watkins added 20 points, pulling down six rebounds. Off the bench, Jaylen White scored 18 points, making seven of his eleven field goal attempts in 22 minutes of action. 

After two games in the Peach State, the Gyrenes will head back to Florida for two games next weekend. The first will see AMU host Our Lady of the Lake University from Texas on Friday, with a Saturday matchup pitting the Gyrenes against the Rams of the University of Mobile. Both games are set to tip off at 5:00 p.m. at The Furnace on the campus of Southeastern University in Lakeland.