SAU gets season-opening win over Mount Mercy
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mount Mercy (0-1) | 34 | 39 | 73 |
|
St. Ambrose (1-0) | 39 | 41 | 80 |
Andrew Morrissey scored inside with less than three minutes remaining to break a 71-71 tie and propel St. Ambrose to a season-opening 80-73 win Wednesday night in Lee Lohman Arena.
After Morrissey scored the final two of his 19 points, the Bees turned to their defense, allowing the Mustangs to connect on just one of their final seven field goal attempts.
Following the first stop, Ignacio Dacunda came down with a big rebound and was fouled. His free throw extended the lead to 74-71.
With SAU locked in on the defensive end, the Bees ended their scoring from the line. Inside the final minute, Will Spriggs made it a two-possession game with a pair of free throws and 10 seconds later, Grant Mason knocked down two for a 78-71 lead. After a Mount Mercy basket, Spriggs buried two more from the line to end the scoring.
St. Ambrose ended the game much like they ended the first half.
Trailing 29-24, the Bees turned the Morrissey. The grad transfer scored four straight to ignite a 15-1 run. Jayven Jones and Patrick Torrey also each had four and Spriggs drilled a 3-pointer that put SAU in front 39-30. Mount Mercy (0-1) scored the final four points of the half to get within 39-34 at the break. That led to a back-and-forth second half before SAU pulled away late.
Spriggs scored a team-high 22 points. He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the stripe helping the Bees outscore the Mustangs 17-6 from the line.
Mason scored nine points.
Along with his 19 points, Morrissey grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.
Three other SAU newcomers - freshmen Jones (eight), Amarey Wills (eight) and Jordan Sanchez (seven) - combined for 22 points.
Spriggs came down with five boards while Mason and Kieran Farrell each grabbed four.
The Bees will hit the road to visit Missouri Baptist Saturday.
