Two days after a Jake Meeske broke a tie with a free throw with 2.4 seconds left, the Bees again relied on late free throw shooting to post a neutral-site 77-74 win over Rochester (Mich.), a team receiving votes in the NAIA top-25 poll.

In a game played at Indiana University-Northwest, John Kerr hit two from the line to give St. Ambrose a 75-74 lead with 17 seconds left, and after a steal, Michael Williams knocked down a pair of free throws 10 seconds later for the final margin. A potential game-tying Rochester 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

Williams finished with a team-high 18 points while Kerr scored 15. Dylan Kaczmarek netted nine points while three Bees - Meeske, Warren Allen and Tom Kazanecki - each dropped in eight.

In a game St. Ambrose led by as many as 13 twice in the second half, the last time on a Seth Kizer free throw with 12:34 to play, it all came down to the wire. Two Kerr free throws gave SAU a 72-64 advantage with three minutes to play, but Rochester (3-2) went on a 10-1 run to grab a 74-73 lead. It was the Warriors' first lead since holding a 9-8 advantage four minutes into the game.

Kerr drew a foul and hit both free throws before Williams came up with a steal and his ensuing free throw ended the scoring.

St. Ambrose shot less than 39 percent from the floor but hit 11 3-pointers, with Kaczmarek and Williams each hitting three triples. The Bees also outscored the Warriors 22-12 from the line.

Alex Portwood came off the bench to contribute seven points in the victory.

SAU (4-1) is off to its best start since the 2014-15 season when the Bees also got off to a 4-1 start. The team will oepn CCAC play Wednesday night at Olivet Nazarene.