It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish.

The St. Ambrose men's basketball team had to live by that mantra Wednesday evening when they hosted the Cardinal Stritch Wolves in a conference tilt in Lee Lohman Arena.

Cardinal Stritch (5-16, 3-12 CCAC) came out of the gate hot. The Wolves connected on six of their first eight attempts, going 3-for-3 from deep and hitting four free throws to open up an early 10-point lead.

The Bees were able to keep themselves in the game largely in part to a masterful first-half performance from Will Spriggs, a sophomore guard from Jacksonville, Fla. Spriggs shouldered the scoring for the Bees, knocking down six three-pointers and filling in 24 points in the first half alone.

The performance from Spriggs allowed the Bees to carry a four-point lead into the locker room. Senior forward Tom Kazanecki was able to carry the load for the remainder of the game, scoring 14 of his 22 points and six rebounds in the second half.

Late in the second half, the Wolves were able to cut the deficit to single digits. However, a pair of back-to-back Patrick Torrey dunks swung the momentum and sealed the game. The Bees would hold on to win the bout 82-72.

Spriggs finished the game with 27 points. Kazanecki was the only other Bee in double-figures with 22. Ben Schols led the Bees on the glass with eight rebounds. Jake Conerty came off the bench to dish out six assists and grab seven boards.

The home win improves St. Ambrose to 9-12 overall and an even 8-8 in the CCAC. The Bees will host another conference matchup on Saturday against Calumet St. Joseph.

Highlights below courtesy SAUtv:

Jake Friel's corner 3-pointer gives SAU a 52-43 lead

Jake Friel finds Tom Kazanecki for a layup and a 54-43 lead

Grant Mason scores and is fouled to push the lead to 59-46

Tom Kazanecki powers his way for two and a 61-46 lead