DALTON, Ga. — Phew.

The Ave Maria Men's Basketball team begin their march to Kansas City Friday night with a thrilling 88-84 win in overtime over the 14^th seed Xavier Gold Rush. The play of the game was a dunk from Jack Watkins in the final seconds of regulation that tied the game at 78 and sent the game to overtime.

Xavier had a chance to go up by three with 10.4 seconds left in the game, but missed a second free throw, keeping the score at 78-76. Watkins grabbed the rebound and went coast to coast for the tie.

"He's just a warrior," said head coach Jamon Copeland of Watkins after the game. "He knew we had to have a two and a quick a two, and he knew that they are not going to foul him in that situation and he went right to the rim and put it down. It was a big time play."

In overtime, it was a Jaylen White three that gave the Gyrenes a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the extra frame.

The whole game leading up to the final moments was just as exciting. Coming into the first round, Ave Maria boasted the best offense in the NAIA while Xavier had the best defense.

During the game, both teams had a 3+ possession lead at one point but couldn't hang on to it. Xavier's was early in the game, getting up by nine points just a little over seven minutes into the game. Ave Maria responded with 16-6 run to regain the lead at 28-27. The Gyrenes had two threes in the run, one from Miles Monchecourt and one from Watkins.

The scoring streak kept going for the Gyrenes, who went on a 10-0 run after taking the lead to get up by a 11. However, Xavier saved a lot of scoring the final three minutes of the half. The Gold Rush had a 10-0 run of their own to get back within a point of the Gyrenes. Michael Klekas hit the final basket of the half to send the Gyrenes into the locker room up 40-37.

Ave Maria opened the second half with another big run and got out to a comfortable 13 point lead with 13 minutes left to play. However, that lead was also erased. Just seven minutes later, the Gold Rush completed a 22-6 run to take a narrow three-point lead. The Gold Rush defense showed up as advertised and forced Ave Maria to go 2-for-12 from the field in that span.

Xavier's late lead got as high as six, but just like every lead in the game, it wasn't safe. After two Gyrene free throws, a Gold Rush turnover led to a Jonathan Effertz three that put Gyrenes back within one. Xavier missed their shot on the following possession and two more free throws from Effertz put Ave Maria back on top.

The Gold Rush hit a jumper with 31 seconds left to play to retake the lead. With just one second separating the shot and game clock, the Gyrenes turned the ball over and were forced to foul. That led to Xavier going 1-for-2 from the line and Watkins slamming the ball to force overtime.

In total, there were eight lead changes and 10 ties between the two teams.

"Man, [what an] incredible game. If that [doesn't] define March for you, I don't know what does," said Copeland. "A couple of points, it looked like we were dead in the water, [but the] guys just kept fighting [and had] a next play mentality. It was awesome, [I'm] proud of the guys."

Friday was the second game this season to go to overtime for the Gyrenes, who are now 2-0 in the extra period.

Watkins led the team with 30 points. It is the second time he has scored 30 or more points in a game this season. Watkins also led the team with 10 rebounds, posting his first double-double of the season.

Three other Gyrenes were in double figures with Noryen Lasley at 16, Klekas at 15 and White at 10.

With the win, Ave Maria moves on to the Second Round in the NAIA National Tournament. They will take on the 11^th seeded St. Mary-of-the-Woods Pomeroys. The Pomeroys upset the sixth seeded Dalton State Roadrunners in the game before Ave Maria's, winning 74-67. SMWC won the River States Conference Tournament to get an automatic bid into the tournament. Saturday will have a similar feel to Friday, with the Pomeroys boasting the 15^th best defense in the NAIA. With the win on Friday, the Gyrenes are now 4-2 against Top 25 defenses.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with a trip to Kansas City on the line. The game will be streamed live by Dalton State on the Rage Network.