AVE MARIA, Fla. – The Thomas University men's basketball team took Ave Maria, which is receiving votes in the current NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, to overtime Thursday night, but ultimately fell, 75-72, at the Tom Golisano Field House. 

Thomas falls to seventh in the Sun Conference with an 8-8 record in the league and Ave Maria improves to 10-5, which is third. 

Cedric Wright netted 21 points, his second straight 20-point game, going 9-of-16 from the field, and pulled down five rebounds for the Night Hawks. Trint Bryant added 10 points while Sheldon Hendrix dished out seven assists to go along with eight points and five rebounds. 

TU knocked down nine shots from three and hit 48.4 percent (30-62) of its shots from the field. Thomas outrebounded Ave Maria, 36-29, and outscored the Gyrenes 40-30 in the paint. 

Ave Maria edged out Thomas, 39-38, in the first half, then the Night Hawks outscored the Gyrenes, 28-27, in the second period to send the game into overtime. Ave Maria won the extra stanza, 9-6, to take the win. 

Ave Maria led by five with 3:21 remaining in overtime, but a three-point play from Cedric Wright drew the score within two. Joshua Scott tied the game at 64 with a fastbreak layup with 1:49 left, then Ave Maria answered with a layup at 1:20. Bryant hit the game-tying bucket with 55 seconds remaining, and the Gyrenes missed a jumper and 3-pointer in the final 35 seconds to send the game into extra time. 

Wright scored Thomas' first two buckets of the overtime, but Ave Maria knocked down three jumpers to take the 72-70 lead. The Gyrenes then hit a free throw and another layup to go ahead by five with 57 seconds remaining. Despite a layup from Hendrix, Thomas couldn't catch up, falling by three. 

The Night Hawks next face No. 20 Southeastern in Lakeland, Fla., Feb. 9, then wrap up the regular season Feb. 16 at College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick, Ga.