Two big wins open 2023-24 season
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
East-West (0-1, 0-0) | 22 | 32 | 54 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (1-0, 0-0) | 30 | 45 | 75 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Moody (0-2, 0-0) | 24 | 27 | 51 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (2-0, 0-0) | 42 | 53 | 95 |
St. Ambrose tipped off the 2023-24 season with a pair of wins at the Trinity Christian Classic. The Bees defeated East-West 75-54 Friday before taking down Moody Bible 95-51 Saturday.
SAU shot nearly 49 percent from the floor in the season-opening victory over East-West. That came despite a 2-for-14 effort from beyond the arc.
The Bee defense limited the Phantoms to less than 35-percent shooting. SAU also outscored East-West 58-36 in the paint and forced 19 turnovers, leading to 30 points.
The St. Ambrose bench contributed 63 of the team's 75 points. Will Spriggs led the way, pouring in 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Ignacio Dacunda (12 points) and Guillermo Narbona (10 points) also scored in double figures off the bench. Jake Friel also scored 10 points. Zane Witt was the only other starter to score. He finished with two points.
Aiden Cilladi, Evan Walsh and Nathan Moeller each scored four, while Jayven Jones and Austin Born netted two apiece.
Narbona led the Bees with nine rebounds.
St. Ambrose (2-0) was even better Saturday. SAU shot nearly 55 percent from the floor and limited Moody to a 33-percent mark. The Bees grabbed a 45-29 advantage on the boards and turned 22 Moody turnovers into 32 points. SAU again controlled the paint, outscoring the Archers 55-17 inside.
Fifteen of the 16 Bees scored. Dacunda led the team with 12 points. Jones netted 11 while Friel and Witt each dropped in 10. Narbona (nine points), Spriggs (eight), Elgin Bowen Jr. (seven), Moeller (seven), Cilladi (six), Born (five) and Ty Slager (four) contributed to the balanced attack.
Nikola Zelenovic, Atem Agot, Walsh and Jonathan Rivera also scored in the victory.
St. Ambrose will play at Clarke Wednesday.