BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The College of Coastal Georgia men's basketball team ended their 2023-24 season on Saturday afternoon with a 104-99 loss to the Ave Maria Gyrenes on senior day. 

The Mariners (9-16, 2-12 TSC) took a quick 3-0 lead in the early minutes of the first half on a DJ Taylor free throw and a Salle Wilson layup, and then traded baskets with the Gyrenes (20-8, 9-5 TSC) for the next three possessions, which included back-to-back threes from Aaron Daniels and Wilson. The same duo went back-to-back again one minute later to give the Mariners a slight 15-12 lead at the 15 minute mark in the first half. At that point, CCGA went on a quick but efficient 7-2 run, capped off by a three pointer from Nick Jiles, to give the Mariners a 22-16 lead. The lead was short lived, however, as in just two minutes of game time the Gyrenes had the game tied once again thanks to a three ball by Miles Monchecourt. Wilson, Jiles, and Layton Veon continued to make baskets to keep the Mariners in the ballgame, until the Gyrenes went on a 15-5 run over the final 5:46 of the first half to take a 52-42 lead into halftime. 

Wilson, who played all 20 minutes of the first half, led the way with 18 points on 7-12 shooting, followed by Jiles with 10 and Daniels with six. Wilson also snagged seven rebounds in the half, which was exactly half of CCGA's total for the period. For the Gyrenes, Nick Filchner led the way with 12 points and a pair of three pointers in as many attempts. 

Both teams traded blows out of the break, but it was Ave Maria who got the upper hand early, stretching their lead to as many as 12 just six minutes into the half. The lead did not get to single digits again until the 6:45 mark when Jiles made a layup followed by a Veon three pointer. The very next possession, Jiles made a pair of free throws and Veon followed once again with a three pointer, making the score 88-83 with five minutes remaining in the game. With the game in reach, both teams went back and forth with baskets, with six straight possessions ending in a made basket, the latest being a layup by Veon with just over a minute left in the game to cut the lead to three at 98-95. The Mariners were then in the free throw game, with Ave Maria making 5-6 down the stretch to eventually pull away and secure the 104-99 victory. 

Jiles finished his last game as a Mariner tied a Mariner career high 30 points with 10 assists and six rebounds, with fellow senior Veon right behind him with 26 points on 4-8 shooting from behind the arc. Wilson also finished with 23 points along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. As a team, Coastal Georgia shot 48 percent from the field and 38 percent from three in their final game of the 2023-24 season. 

The Mariners finish their 2023-24 campaign with an overall record of 9-16 and a 2-12 record in Sun Conference play.