AVE MARIA, Fla. – The No. 24-ranked Wayland Baptist Men's Basketball team nearly pulled off an incredible comeback Tuesday night, overcoming a 19-point second-half deficit before falling just short against No. 13 Ave Maria University, 82-81, in a thrilling top-25 NAIA matchup.
The Pioneers (1-1) displayed tremendous resilience, outscoring the Gyrenes 45-32 in the second half and taking the lead twice in the final eight minutes. However, a late push came up just short as Wayland suffered its first loss of the 2026-27 season.
Ave Maria got off to a strong start offensively, connecting on eight three-pointers in the opening half while shooting 48.6% from the field. The Gyrenes built a 50-36 advantage heading into halftime and continued their momentum early in the second half, extending their lead to 58-39 with 16:27 remaining.
Despite facing a 19-point deficit, Wayland refused to back down.
Trailing 64-45 with 13:22 remaining, the Pioneers turned up their defensive intensity and began mounting an impressive comeback. Wayland went on a 13-0 run, holding Ave Maria scoreless for more than three minutes while forcing several turnovers. Talmadge Taylor, Freddie Cooper and Jeron Lawrence provided key offensive contributions during the stretch, cutting the deficit to 64-58 with 9:47 left to play.
The Pioneers continued their momentum behind Julian Perez, who took over offensively down the stretch. Perez scored seven consecutive points, including a three-pointer and two layups, to give Wayland its first lead of the second half at 69-68 with 7:08 remaining.
After Ave Maria briefly regained the advantage, Perez connected on another three-pointer with 6:13 remaining to put the Pioneers back in front, 72-71.
The Gyrenes responded with an 11-1 run to reclaim control, building an 82-73 advantage with 2:33 remaining.
Once again, Wayland refused to go away.
Taylor sparked the final comeback attempt with a jumper before Cooper knocked down two free throws and connected on a clutch three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining, bringing the Pioneers within two points at 82-80.
With five seconds remaining, Cooper drew a foul on a three-point attempt, giving Wayland an opportunity to complete the comeback at the free-throw line. Cooper converted his first attempt but missed the next two, leaving the Pioneers trailing 82-81.
After Ave Maria missed two free throws with three seconds remaining, Wayland had one final opportunity to steal the victory. However, a last-second layup attempt from Taylor came up short, allowing the Gyrenes to escape with the narrow one-point win.
Cooper and Perez led the Pioneers offensively with 15 points apiece. Cooper also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Perez scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half to fuel Wayland's comeback.
Taylor provided a strong contribution off the bench, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds, including 10 points in the second half. Isaiah McAdams and Daryl Bod each added nine points, while Isaiah Foster contributed six points and a team-high four assists.
Defensively, Lawrence recorded a game-high five steals to go along with six points and four rebounds. Jordan Logan made his presence felt with four steals, three blocked shots and six rebounds, while Bod added three steals.
As a team, Wayland forced 22 Ave Maria turnovers, recorded 14 steals and converted those opportunities into 27 points. The Pioneers also controlled the scoring inside, outscoring the Gyrenes 48-36 in the paint while collecting 22 offensive rebounds and producing 26 second-chance points.
Wayland's bench proved instrumental in the comeback, contributing 42 points on the night.
Ave Maria was led by Noah Lovan with 16 points, followed by George Sabatini with 14. The Gyrenes finished shooting 46.8% from the field and 45.5% from three-point range.
Up Next:
The Pioneers (1-1) will return to Plainview for their 2026-27 home opener on Thursday, November 5, when they host Northern New Mexico College at the Hutcherson Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST, as Wayland looks to bounce back from its narrow road loss and pick up its first home victory of the season.
