St. Ambrose stumbles at St. Francis
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (5-1, 1-1) | 29 | 28 | 57 |
|
St. Francis (IL) (3-1, 1-0) | 35 | 31 | 66 |
A night with only one 3-pointer and a 2-for-7 performance from the line led to SAU's first loss of the year, a 66-57 setback at St. Francis Wednesday.
St. Ambrose (5-1, 1-1 CCAC) was just 1-of-16 from beyond the arc, a 6.3 percent effort. That, along with getting outscored 17-2 on free throws, proved to be the difference.
The Bees shot well overall, especially from 2-point range, shooting at a 46.6-percent clip. That was actually better than the Saints' 44.2 percent mark. But while St. Francis (3-1, 1-0 CCAC) also struggled from deep, shooting 3-of-16 on 3-point tries, the Saints converted 17-of-27 from the line. SAU was whistled for 22 fouls while USF was called for 11.
SAU got off to a strong start. Eight early points from Guillermo Narbona and two apiece from Atem Agot, Grant Mason and Collin Wainscott, helped the Bees to a 14-6 lead just six minutes into the contest.
But after Aiden Cilladi's jumper gave St. Ambrose a 20-18 advantage, the Bees stalled. A Narbona free throw and layup proved to be the only Bee points over the next seven minutes as USF went in front 33-23.
Down 35-29 at the half following a late Wainscott layup, SAU got within two points early in the second half on baskets from Kieran Farrell and Will Spriggs. The Saints answered with seven straight points to rebuild a 42-33 lead.
After falling behind by as many as 14 at 57-43 with 6:41 to play, the Bees closed to within 62-57 when Mason scored inside. SAU had the ball but an offensive foul on Agot broke the momentum. USF hit four free throws in the final minute to account for the final score.
Narbona led St. Ambrose with 19 points. Mason finished with 12. Wainscott was next on the team in scoring with six points.
Cilladi, Spriggs and Ignacio Dacunda each scored four points. Farrell, Agot, Solomon Garrison and Alec Platipodis had two points apiece.
SAU will play an exhibition at SIU-Edwardsville Saturday before returning home to host Missouri Baptist Tuesday.