AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria University Men's Basketball team scored the most points they have this season and put up a season-high number of threes against the Coastal Georgia Mariners Saturday, winning 107-76. The Gyrenes never trailed in the game, hitting their first shot a minute and 15 seconds into the game and leading for the 38 remaining minutes.
Unlike the previous wins this season, the first half got out to a slow start for the Gyrenes. Ave Maria didn't have many big runs, with their largest streak being a 7-0 run with a three-pointer and two layups. The streak put Ave Maria up by 10 points for the first time in the game.
The Gyrenes' biggest lead in the first half was 12 points but was immediately followed by an 8-0 run from the Mariners, pulling themselves back within four points. Ave Maria hit two jumpers at the end of the first half to take a 43-37 lead into the break.
The second half is when the Gyrenes turn it on. After a little more back and forth to open the frame, Ave Maria went on a 24-9 run over seven minutes to get out to a 23-point lead. The Gyrenes hit four shots from downtown and punctuated the run with a Noryen Lasley dunk off a behind the back pass from Jaylen White.
The lead continued to grow from there as the Gyrenes poured on more points. Ave Maria hit triple digits off a layup from Mark Blaszczyk. It is the second time this season the Gyrenes have scored over 100, with the first being the season opener against Point.
The Gyrenes hit two more three pointers in the final minute from Evan Boyle and Mitchell Lee to hit their season highs in both points scored and three pointers made. When the final buzzer sounded, Ave Maria walked off the court with a 107-76 win.
"Our ability to get stops on the defensive end fueled our season highs in points and threes tonight," said head coach Jamon Copeland. "We were able to really get out in transition on offense due to our effort and execution on the defensive end."
Ave Maria scored 64 points in second half, one away from the program record for points in a frame. For the whole game, 107 is the 10th highest scoring game in program history. Including Saturday, five of those 10 games have been in the last two seasons.
The Gyrenes hit 14 trifectas in the game, a season high. Jaylen White led the effort with four, followed by Jonathan Effertz with three and Miles Monchecourt with two.
For the second game in a row, Ave Maria had six players hit double figures. Nick Filchner, White and Monchecourt all tied for the lead with 14 points. Effertz was right behind them with 12, Michael Klekas hit 11 and Lasley rounded out the group with 10.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 6-2 and is atop the Sun Conference with a 3-0 record in conference play. The Gyrenes have also now won four games in a row.
It is a quick turnaround for the Gyrenes as they are back on the court at the Tom Golisano Field House Monday, November 25, against the Trinity Baptist Eagles. It is the first time the Gyrenes will play the Eagles since the season opener of the 2022-23 season. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
