In a battle of two of the CCAC elite, St. Francis (Ill.) escaped with a 61-56 win over St. Ambrose Wednesday night in Lee Lohman Arena.

The second- and third-place teams in the conference battled down to the wire in a defensive struggle. But after making just six of their first 27 3-point attempts, the Saints hit two in the final minute, including a back-breaker with the shot clock winding down inside the last 20 seconds.

The Bees, who held their last lead at 11-9 on two Mel Stewart free throws with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter, fought back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit and a 35-28 margin at the half.

Thanks to holding USF to just two points over the first seven-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, SAU was able to climb within two points at 51-49 on a pair of Shayne Smith free throws with 2:47 to play. After the Saints hit two from the line to restore a four-point lead, Madeline Prestegaard scored inside. After getting the ball back, Smith split two free throws to cut the margin to 53-52 with 1:17 remaining.

But with the clock just ticking inside the final minute, St. Francis (22-6, 19-2 CCAC) hit the first of its two key triples. Smith drove in for a quick two to close the gap to 56-54 with 48 seconds left. Then, with the shot clock running out, the Saints hit their final three to all but seal the win. Kylie Wroblewski gave SAU a chance by knocking down two free throws with four seconds left but USF closed things out with two free throws with one second left to clinch a top-two finish in the CCAC.

Both teams struggled to score. St. Ambrose shot 32.3 percent from the field (20-of-62) while St. Francis shot at a 36.7-percent clip (22-of-60). The Bees were just 2-of-13 from beyond the arc while the Saints were 8-of-29, including the two key threes late.

Wroblewski led St. Ambrose with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double. Smith was the only other Bee to score in double figures, finishing with 14 points.

Anna Plumer dropped in seven points and Stewart and Prestegaard each came off the bench to drop in six points. 

Smith, Plumer and Jaynee Prestegaard each hauled in six rebounds, while Plumer was credited with three of the team's four assists.

St. Ambrose, now 24-4 overall and 17-4 in the conference, will close the regular season at Indiana South Bend Saturday. A victory would guarantee SAU sole possession of third place. The CCAC Tournament will begin next Tuesday.