Bees snap streak against Eagles
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Judson (5-19, 3-13) | 33 | 37 | 70 |
|
St. Ambrose (4-16, 3-13) | 35 | 45 | 80 |
St. Ambrose snapped an eight-game losing streak Saturday afternoon, defeating the Judson Eagles, 80-70, inside Lee Lohman Arena.
The Bees (4-16, 3-13 CCAC) got big contributions from Grant Mason, Andrew Morrissey, and Will Spriggs as the trio combined for 58 of the Bees' 80 points.
Leading by one with 13:03 remaining, Spriggs hit a jumper to make it 55-52. Ignacio Dacunda then turned defense into offense with a steal and fastbreak layup that electrified the St. Ambrose student section to put SAU up by five. Morrissey and Dacunda scored layups between a Judson basket to grow the lead to 61-54 with just over 10 minutes left. The lead grew to 13 with 3:56 to go after a Morrissey layup and two Spriggs free-throws made it 73-60.
The Eagles (5-19, 3-13 CCAC) would continue to battle, cutting the SAU lead to five after a three-point basket with 1:29 left. Spriggs calmly made two free throws to make it 75-68 with 1:01 on the clock. After another Spriggs free-throw, Kieran Farrell hit a three-pointer with 33 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading buckets throughout. St. Ambrose took their first lead after a Farrell jump shot made it 4-2, but Judson answered right back with a three-pointer to take the lead with 16:57 in the first. The Eagles got their largest lead of the game after an Isiah Burd jumper made it 15-12 with 11:05 to go. Mason tied the game at 15 on the next possession with a three-pointer as the teams continued to trade baskets.
A Morrissey three-point play with 3:25 left in the half put the Bees up 30-27. Javaris Wiggins hit a jumper for Judson to cut the lead to one, but Morrissey hit a free throw, and Nikola Zelenovic made a layup to give SAU a 33-29 lead with 1:12 to go. Judson made two free throws and a layup in between an SAU basket for the 35-33 halftime score.
Morrissey had a game-high 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Spriggs went 8-10 from the free throw line and scored 20 points while dishing out a game-high four assists. Mason was 4-6 from both the three-point line and the free-throw line to give him 16 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Farrell chipped in seven points and five rebounds. Dacunda, Zelenovic, Jake Friel, Jayven Jones, and Nathan Moeller combined for 15 points.
St. Ambrose will travel to Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday, February 8th for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
