BRUNSWICK, Ga. — It took an extra five minutes, but the Ave Maria Men's Basketball team got their record breaking ninth consecutive win to start the 2025-26. The Gyrenes went to overtime to get the win, beating the Coastal Georgia 96-91.
For much of the first half, the Gyrenes found themselves playing catch up with the Mariners. Ave Maria had the lead for just three minutes in the middle of the opening frame, while Coastal Georgia had the lead for the rest of the time.
The Mariners hit their largest lead of eight points with under two minutes left to play in the half, leading 43-35. The Gyrenes dominated the final two minutes though and went on an 8-0 run to head into halftime knotted up at 43.
In a bit of role reversal from last season, Coastal Georgia outshot the Gyrenes from behind the arc, going 7-for-15 while Ave Maria sat at 3-for-9. However, the Gyrenes did shoot over 50% from the field, hitting 15 shots inside the arc.
Ave Maria found their groove at the start of the second half, opening the frame with a 12-4 run to hit their largest lead of the night at 55-47. Michael Klekas hit back-to-back threes to punctuate the run.
Coastal Georgia responded with a 7-0 run of their own and it was a two-possession game for the rest of the night.
With under five minutes to go, Coastal Georgia took a five-point lead and was looking to ice the game. However, Ave Maria did not go quietly into the night and ripped off a 7-0 run to retake the lead.
The Mariners took one more lead before the end of regulation, but a Marlon Bennett free throw tied the game once again at 84. Neither team found the scoreboard in the final minute and the Gyrenes went to overtime for the first time this season.
The extra period started with another scoreless minute between the two teams before Coastal Georgia hit a free throw to break the tie. Bennett immediately responded with a layup to give the Gyrenes a lead they would not lose.
Klekas hit a three-pointer on the next possession to grow the lead to four points. Ave Maria closed the frame out by going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to win the game.
Bennett led the team in scoring with 27 points, matching his career-high from the win over Webber. Effertz joined him over 20 points with 25, also a career-high for him. Two more Gyrenes hit double figures with Klekas logging 19 points and Alex Sherwood hitting 15. Both Sherwood and Bennett recorded double-doubles, as Sherwood logged a team-high 16 rebounds and Bennett grabbed 10 off the glass.
Sherwood was one block away from the second triple-double in program history, recording a program record nine blocks.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 3-0 in conference play and 9-0 overall. It is the longest win streak both to start a season and in general in program history.
"Just excited for the guys, you know, they worked really hard. For being 9-0, we've been in some tough situations," said head coach Jamon Copeland following the win. "Just our guys' belief, their resilience, just to keep fighting, keep going no matter what the score is."
The Gyrenes wrap up league play for the 2025 calendar year and will wait for January before they resume Sun play.
Ave Maria has two more games on the schedule in November as they head to Kingsport, Tennessee, to play in the NAIA "The Show" Classic. The Gyrenes open their two-game stay in the Volunteer State by taking on the Tennessee Southern Fire Hawks. It will be the first ever meeting between the two programs on the basketball court.
That game is Black Friday, November 28, with tipoff set for 3:30 p.m.
