St. Ambrose pieced together a 23-3 run bridging the first and second halves to open CCAC play with a 79-59 win over Trinity Christian Wednesday night.

Trailing 36-30 late in the half, Jake Meeske went on a personal 8-1 run, including a four-point play and a short jumper at the buzzer, to help the Bees to a 38-37 lead at the break.

That momentum carried into the second half.

John Kerr and Meeske knocked down 3-pointers to start the half and they each later added layups. Isaiah Harvey finished the spurt with a layup and a three of his own to give St. Ambrose a 53-39 advantage not even five minutes into the second half.

The Trolls (2-1, 0-1 CCAC) closed to within 10 points but Michael Williams answered with a three-point play. Harvey scored inside and after another empty TCC possession, Williams buried a three to restore an 18-point lead.

The margin grew to as many as 28 points before Trinity Christian closed the game on an 8-0 run to account for the final score.

St. Ambrose (3-1, 1-0 CCAC) controlled the second half. Defensively, the Bees forced the Trolls into 7-of-33 shooting (21.2 percent) in outscoring them 41-22 after halftime. TCC finished at 31.3 percent shooting (21-of-67) for the game.

SAU also finished with a 55-32 rebounding advantage that included 17 offensive boards, six of those coming from Kerr.

Meeske, who was 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, scored a game-high 21 points. He was joined in double figures by Harvey (15), Kerr (14) and Williams (10).

Harvey and Williams shared the team lead with eight rebounds each. Kerr grabbed seven and Meeske had six. Patrick Torrey registered seven points and five boards in the win.

The Bees will host Mount Mercy next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.