SAU pulls away in second half to defeat Indiana South Bend
St. Ambrose overcame a slow first half to post an 80-64 win over Indiana South Bend at Lee Lohman Arena Saturday afternoon.
The win moves the Bees to 11-10 overall and 6-6 in the conference.
The Bees had to overcome a 13-point first-half deficit to keep pace in a crowded CCAC that features eight teams within a game of each other for third place in the conference. SAU is one of five teams with a 6-6 league mark, trailing three teams with matching 7-5 records.
St. Ambrose started its move late in the first half, closing on an 11-2 run. Jake Meeske's 3-pointer in the closing seconds brought the Bees to within 38-35 at the half.
After the Titans (10-12, 2-10 CCAC) opened the second half with a three for a 41-35 advantage, SAU ran off nine straight points, the last three coming on a Meeske three-point play that gave St. Ambrose a 44-41 lead, its first lead since holding an early 4-3 edge.
Minutes later, Meeske knocked down three consecutive triples to extend the lead to double figures. Jalen Jones then buried a three of his own to increase the margin to 63-50 with 12 minutes to play.
Over the next four minutes, SAU was able to push the advantage to 20 points.
A 10-0 run brought the Titans back to within 10 points at 73-63 with just under four minutes remaining. But three straight points from Warren Allen keyed a 7-0 SAU spurt, capped by a Tyler Hilby layup, to seal the win.
Meeske scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Hilby also provided a second-half spark, scoring nine of his 13 points off the bench over the final 20 minutes.
Jones finished with 10 points, Allen scored nine and Blake Buls added eight points and nine rebounds. Lee Hardrick and Greg Wagner each poured in six points.
Along with a 47-37 rebounding advantage, St. Ambrose also held Indiana South Bend to less than 37 percent shooting from the floor. SAU also committed just seven turnovers in the win.
Now 6-1 in the conference at home, the Bees must prove they can win on the road. St. Ambrose, 0-5 in CCAC road games this season, will visit Saint Xavier Wednesday and Olivet Nazarene Saturday.