An offensive rebound and put-back with one second on the clock sent St. Ambrose to its second straight loss, a 70-68 setback at Mount Mercy Monday night.

It was the second offensive board the Bees surrendered on that final possession, coming on the heels of an SAU turnover.

After John Kerr was called for traveling, wiping out his baseline layup, Mount Mercy took possession with 46 seconds left in a 68-68 tie. The Mustangs missed on a 3-point attempt but tracked down the rebound, allowing them to play for the final shot. After a timeout, MMU missed a driving shot but it was tipped in with one second remaining.

A long desperation inbounds pass was knocked away as the clock expired.

The Bees (10-4), who had climbed to No. 16 in the NAIA Division II coaches poll, have now lost two in row. The team suffered its first conference loss Saturday at the hands of No. 6 Olivet Nazarene.

St. Ambrose started slowly Monday, falling behind 9-0 three minutes in. But behind 12 points from Warren Allen and a late Cameron Kalmas 3-pointer, the Bees rallied for a 38-37 lead at the half.

The second half went back and forth with neither team leading by more than five points. The Mustangs' final five-point lead came with just under five minutes remaining. But it was quickly erased as a jumper from Allen and a 3-pointer from Jake Meeske evened the score at 63-63 with four minutes left.

That was the first of three big shots down the stretch for Meeske. The senior guard twice gave St. Ambrose a late lead, first with a long 3-pointer for a 66-63 advantage with 3:10 to go, and then with a driving layup for a 68-66 lead with 1:28 on the clock.

Mount Mercy (6-6) answered on the other end, leading to the SAU turnover in the final minute.

Meeske finished with a team-high 16 points. Thirteen of those points came in the second half. Allen was the only other Bee in double figures. He scored 14.

Kerr registered nine points and a team-best eight rebounds. Isaiah Harvey scored eight, Dylan Kaczmarek had seven, Tom Kazanecki scored six and Michael Williams added five in defeat.

SAU will return to CCAC play Saturday with a game at Indiana South Bend.