BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team earned a statement win on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 98-74 victory over the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia at Coffin Gym. The Gyrenes earned their first ever win in Brunswick in what was a rematch of last season's Sun Conference Tournament championship game.
The opening ten minutes of the first half were played evenly, with the biggest lead being a five-point edge for the Gyrenes. However, the final ten minutes fully belonged to the Gyrenes. With the game tied at 23 with 10:24 on the clock, Ave Maria proceeded to go on a 28-5 run to build a 23-point lead, 51-28, with 3:40 left in the half. 18 of Ave's 28 points in that stretch came on three-pointers, including four consective threes that keyed a 15-0 run within the bigger run. Coastal Georgia finished the half on a 9-1 run to cut the AMU lead to 52-37.
Ave Maria outscored the Mariners 30-6 from three-point territory in the first half, allowing the Gyrenes to build their lead. AMU shot 54.3 percent from the field, and made ten of their 21 three-point attempts. Five different Gyrenes made a three-pointer in the opening 20 minutes, led by three each from Lucas Uzdavinis and Leo Behrend. Behrend led all scorers in the first half with 13 points.
Coastal Georgia did not get any closer than 12 points in the second half, a deficit that came following three free throws eight seconds into the half. The Gyrenes led by as many as 29 points, cruising to a win that increased AMU's winning streak against Sun Conference opponents to eleven games. Ave Maria outscored Coastal Georgia 27-6 from three-point territory in the second half, and shot 55.2 percent from the field.
In total, the Gyrenes made 19 of 40 three point attempts, and shot 54.7 percent from the field. The 19 made three-pointers tied a program record set against Keiser on January 27, 2018. Ave Maria was also incredibly efficient in turning Mariner turnovers into points, scoring 30 points on 15 turnovers. AMU, who entered the game second in the nation in three-point defense, held Coastal Georgia to a 16 percent mark (4-25).
Four Gyrenes were in double figures in the win, led by 22 points from Behrend in just 17 minutes of action. Fernando Salsamendi followed with 18 points in only 18 minutes, and Uzdavinis scored 18 points on six three-pointers. Greenan Sullivan rounded out the quartet with eleven points, which included makes on all three of his long distance attempts. Coastal Georgia was led by Jaylen Smallwood, who scored 15 points.
The Gyrenes will now head to the Washington, D.C. area for a pair of games next week. The trip begins on Tuesday, when Ave Maria plays Christendom at Crusader Memorial Gymnasium in Front Royal, Virginia. The Crusaders, who are a USCAA program, enter the game with an 0-4 record. Tipoff in Front Royal is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
