BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's basketball team finished off a sweep of their annual Georgia swing on Saturday evening, soundly defeating the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia, 98-85, at Coffin Gym in Brunswick. With the win, each of AMU's last five wins over Coastal have been by more than a dozen points, a stretch that dates back to the 2019 Sun Conference Tournament championship game.

The Gyrenes never trailed in the win, and built their lead in the first half mainly in the final five minutes of the frame. Leading 27-21 with 9:40 to play in the half, Ave Maria went on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes, extending their lead to 15 points at 38-23. After a brief stretch saw the lead cut back to 13, AMU went on another run, this one of 11-4, to push the lead to 20 points. The Gyrenes rode that momentum into halftime, where they held a 54-35 lead.

Ave Maria was completely on fire in the first half, shooting 55.9 percent from the field and an unconscionable 64.3 percent from beyond the arc. Five Gyrenes made at least one three-pointer, and three made two or more, as Ave Maria would make nine of their 14 long distance tries. The Mariners shot 40.6 percent from the field themselves, but missed eight of their eleven three-point attempts and found themselves in a major hole. 

In the second half, Coastal Georgia outscored the Gyrenes 50-44, but never truly threatened to rally on the visitors. The closest the Mariners would come was within 12 points, 56-44, upon which point the Gyrenes went on a 10-2 run over the next two and a half minutes to push the lead back to 20. Ave Maria led by as many as 25 points before the Mariners outscored the Gyrenes 24-12 in the final five and a half minutes, when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

AMU cooled off from three-point territory in the second half, making just one three-pointer on nine tries. However, the Gyrenes remained blazing from inside the arc, making 68 percent of their two-pointers in the final 20 minutes. For the game, the Gyrenes shot 54.4 percent from the field, making ten three-pointers. Ave Maria also held a major advantage on the glass, pulling down 14 offensive rebounds en route to a 43-25 edge on the glass.

Chayse Culpepper led a trio of Gyrenes that scored 72 of the team's 98 points. Culpepper had 28 points, and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Daryl Lewis and Matt Gillis both shot better than 75 percent from the field, as both players scored 22 points with seven rebounds. Lewis made eight of his ten field goal attempts, while Gillis knocked down nine of his 12 shots. 

A major test awaits Ave Maria next week, as three critical games are next on the schedule. The Gyrenes first play Florida College on Tuesday, taking on a Falcons team that was receiving votes in the newest NAIA Coaches' Poll. AMU then travels to Kingsport, Tennessee to play in "The Show," an annual event with top NAIA teams in attendance. In Tennessee, the Gyrenes will play a pair of teams from the Hoosier State in IU East and Oakland City.