AVE MARIA, Fla. — It was a slow, smothering, decisive win for the Ave Maria Men's Basketball team Wednesday evening as they beat the Truett McConnell Bears 83-69. The Gyrenes grabbed the lead right before the midway point of the first half and led for final 30 minutes of the game.

It was a slow game for almost the entire 40 minutes, but the Gyrenes picked up the pace going on an 11-0 run right before the second media timeout of the first half. The run turned a tie game into a four-possession lead for the Gyrenes, a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game.

Ave Maria's lead got up to 14 points in the first half, but some late baskets from the Bears brought the margin down to four heading into the break.

The Gyrenes led by two possessions or more the entire second half. The two teams matched each other shot-for-shot for a few minutes early on in the frame, but AMU went on a 12-3 run to bring the margin up to double digits and put the game away. Ave Maria hit their free throws in the final minutes and walked off the court with a low-scoring 83-69 win.

Michael Klekas led the team in scoring with 16 points. He also led the team with eight rebounds, bringing his career total up to 674, which is now the most in program history. Klekas passed Dylan Fugate (2009-13) for the title of leading rebounder in Ave Maria history.

Two other Gyrenes hit double figures with Jaylen White scoring 15 and Pablo Hernandez scoring 10, a career-high for the freshman from Tennessee.

With the win, Ave Maria improves to 13-1 overall and is a perfect 4-0 at home.

The Gyrenes are back in action Thursday, December 18, for the second game of a back-to-back. Ave Maria will host Spring Arbor as the two teams meet on the court for the first time since 2021 and the first time in Ave Maria since 2015. The Cougars beat New College of Florida in the first game in the Sunshine State to improve to 7-5.

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.