St. Ambrose loses at St. Francis 72-54
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (16-11, 12-7) | 14 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 54 |
|
St. Francis (Ill.) (21-5, 16-3) | 21 | 13 | 23 | 15 | 72 |
St. Francis (Ill.) knocked down five of its 11 3-pointers during a decisive third quarter to pull away for a 72-54 win over St. Ambrose Wednesday night in Joliet, Ill.
The Saints were 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in a third period in which they outscored the Bees 23-12. That turned a 34-25 halftime lead into a 57-37 advantage heading into the final frame. SAU never got closer than 17 points in the final quarter.
USF (21-5, 16-3 CCAC) finished 11-of-30 from 3-point range while SAU was just 4-of-11 from deep.
The game was close early. St. Ambrose (16-11, 12-7 CCAC) trailed just 26-24 on a Caitlyn Thole jumper midway through the second quarter. The deficit was 28-25 following an Abby Wolter free throw before St. Francis closed the half with the final six points.
Then in the third, USF buried triples on three straight possessions in the last two minutes to turn a 48-35 lead into a 57-37 edge.
Thole led SAU with 18 points. She also pulled down eight rebounds. Jaynee Prestegaard finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season.
Anna Plumer scored eight points while Wolter and Kaitlyn Brunson each scored seven. Caroline Cool and Halle Ciesielczyk combined for the three points off the Bee bench.
St. Ambrose will close the regular season at home Saturday against Indiana South Bend before hitting the road for a quarterfinal game in the CCAC Tournament next Wednesday.