<strong>MONTGOMERY, Ala. –</strong> The Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks men's basketball team (5-16, GSC: 3-12) took down the Christian Brothers Buccaneers (4-14, GSC: 3-11) 54-53 on Thursday evening from the AUM Athletics Complex.<br />  <br /> <strong>COACH BROOKS' COMMENTS</strong><br /> "It wasn't pretty, but we stayed together, trusted each other, and found a way to win. Big win for this group going into homecoming this weekend."<br />  <br /> <strong>HOW IT HAPPENED</strong><br /> <strong>First Half</strong><br /> Marius Canery wasted no time setting the tone, knocking down a three-pointer less than a minute into the game. Buckets from Omar Zeigler, two more from Canery, and a triple by Devin Barksdale pushed AUM out to a 12–4 lead.<br />  <br /> About halfway through the first half, the Warhawks earned their largest lead of the night at 18-8 after a Ti'Avian Scruggs layup.<br />  <br /> Over the next eight minutes, the Buccaneers slowly inched back, taking a 29-26 lead before the end of the first half.<br />  <br /> <strong>Second Half</strong><br /> Coming back from the locker room, Christian Brothers scored the first five field goals, including a triple from Iman Kheirati to extend their lead to 40-27, their largest lead of the night.<br />  <br /> Barksdale ended their streak with a trey that sparked some momentum for the Warhawks. Elhadji Thiam took control, scoring eight points himself, regaining a 45-42 lead for the orange and black.<br />  <br /> Over the next few minutes, the game featured two lead changes and two tied scores, resulting in a 50-50 deadlock.<br />  <br /> Barksdale, who had been shooting well from range all night, knocked down a three-point bucket as the shot clock expired, giving AUM the advantage.<br />  <br /> The Buccs' Marquis Gill answered with a three-pointer to keep the game tied, but with just over a minute remaining, Canery drew a foul and knocked down the first of two free throws to give AUM a 54–53 upper hand.<br />  <br /> Christian Brothers was able to get off a final shot, but it did not connect, and Thiam's rebound sealed the Warhawks' 54–53 win.<br />  <br /> <strong>NOTABLES</strong> <ul> <li>Elhadji Thiam led AUM with 16 points while shooting 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from the field and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.</li> <li>Marius Canery scored 15 points along with four assists and three rebounds.</li> <li>Devin Barksdale posted nine points while hitting 3-of-5 from three-point range.</li> <li>Omar Zeigler totaled a season high of 10 rebounds.</li> <li>The Warhawks came back from a 13-point deficit after CBU led 40-27 with under 17 minutes remaining in the second half.</li> <li>Both sides scored 26 points in the paint.</li> </ul> <br /> <img alt="MBB W Graphic" height="300" src="/images/2026/2/5/MBB_W_2_9134106.png" style="display: inline-block;" width="300" /><br /> <br /> <strong>UP NEXT</strong><br /> The Warhawks are back in action on Saturday, February 7 here at the AUM Athletics Complex for a battle with Union as the team's homecoming game.<br />  <br /> <br /> <strong>#WeAreAUM </strong><br />  <br /> For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AUMathletics/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AUMathletics" target="_blank">X</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aumathletics/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. <br />  <br />  <br />