After letting most of a 14-point second-half lead disappear, St. Ambrose came up big in the final minute to defeat Trinity Christian 77-71 Wednesday night inside Lee Lohman Arena.

A Collin Wainscott 3-pointer had given the Bees a comfortable 64-50 lead with 8:30 to play before the Trolls methodically chipped away. Trinity Christian (4-11, 0-8 CCAC) used a 19-6 run to get within a single point at 70-69 with one minute left.

Fress off scoring his 1000th career point in a game Sunday, Will Spriggs knocked down a big 3-pointer to push the lead back to four at 73-69. TCC scored on its next possession, but forced to foul, the Trolls sent Spriggs to the line with 18 seconds on the clock and the senior hit a pair for a 75-71 lead.

Following a missed three, Spriggs grabbed the rebound and returned to the line where he hit two more free throws with seven seconds remaining to close out the scoring.

The four late free throws capped a perfect night at the line for SAU as the team hit all 16 of its attempts.

St. Ambrose (9-8, 6-3 CCAC) got off to a fast start, taking a 9-2 lead on a Grant Mason breakaway dunk. The margin was 35-29 at the break before the Bees built their double-digit lead midway through the second half.

Spriggs scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. Mason and Ignacio Dacunda each scored 12 points and Jake Friel added 10 to go along with a team-best eight rebounds.

Nathan Moeller provided a spark off the bench, finishing with eight points. Guillermo Narbona scored six points, Ryan Kenney had four, and Wainscott and Elgin Bowen Jr. each added three.

The Bees will put their modest two-game winning streak on the line at St. Francis Saturday.