St. Ambrose outscored Judson 44-25 in the second half to pull away for a 78-67 win Wednesday night in Elgin, Ill.
The big second half helped SAU rally from what was once an 11-point deficit and moved the team to 11-8 overall and 6-5 in CCAC play.
Down 42-34 at the half, the Bees started the second half with an 8-0 run. Jalen Jones had four points during the spurt that tied the game at 42-42. Minutes later, St. Ambrose put together a 10-2 run to break a 46-46 tie. John Kerr had the final two baskets that put SAU in front 56-48 with 11 minutes remaining.
The Bees maintained at least a two-possession advantage from there.
Judson (4-15, 2-9 CCAC) got within five points with 2:24 to play, but Ben Schols responded with a 3-pointer, and Schols and Dylan Kaczmarek combined to hit 5-of-6 free throws over the final 68 seconds to seal the win.
St. Ambrose shot better than 53 percent from the floor (17-of-32) in the second half to finish at 47.6 percent for the game.
And as good as the Bees were offensively in the second half, their defense may have been even better. The Eagles were held to 8-of-29 shooting (27.6 percent) allowing the Bees to rally for the win.
Warren Allen led all players with 18 points while adding seven rebounds and four steals. Jones finished with 12 points and a team-high eight boards. Kerr also netted 12 points while Schols added 11. Michael Williams chipped in with nine points, Jake Meeske scored seven, and Kaczmarek recorded six assists and five steals.
SAU committed just seven turnovers.
The Bees return to action Saturday with a game at Indiana-South Bend.
