DAVENPORT – St. Ambrose University shot 50% from the field and took control of a close game with runs late in the first half and early in the second half, defeating the Iowa Wesleyan College men’s basketball team 75-67 on Wednesday.
The Tigers lost for the second time this year against the Fighting Bees, falling to 8-15 overall, 3-9 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. St. Ambrose moved to 16-9 overall, 8-4 in the MCC, and moved into a three-way tie for first in the conference standings.
Wesleyan battled the Bees to a draw most of the game and even held a seven-point lead in the first half. The Tigers recovered from a slow start offensively to score eight straight points and take a 19-12 lead eight minutes into the game.
St. Ambrose went on a 15-3 run late in the first half, though, turning IWC’s 28-26 lead into a 41-31 deficit. The Bees went into halftime maintaining the 10-point margin at 45-35 and briefly led by 12 early in the second half until the Tigers got back within seven points when Jared Callanan (Sr.-Bennington, Vt.) hit a three-pointer making it 49-42 with 17:58 left.
SAU would take control over the next two minutes, though, scoring seven straight to take a 56-42 lead. The Fighting Bees would be in control the rest of the way, though Wesleyan made one final push in the final minutes. The Tigers got within 68-62 with 3:43 remaining after a three-pointer by Brett Azinger (Fr.-Montrose, Iowa) and had a chance to get closer a minute later, but missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity. The Bees’ Justin Tiner scored on a leaner in the lane the next time down and SAU held on the rest of the way.
Reggie Shipp (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) led the Tigers with 15 points off the bench. Mike Lowe (Sr.-Panora, Iowa) also had 12 points off the bench, while Azinger and Weldon Miller (Jr.-San Rafael, Calif.) both added 10 points. Miller led IWC with nine rebounds and Shipp paced the team with four assists.
Wesleyan shot 43.6% (24-for-55) and hit 9 of 23 three-point tries (39.1%). The Tigers were hurt by poor free throw shooting, though, hitting just 8 of 16 (50%) from the line.
Tiner led SAU with 16 points. The Bees were 26 of 52 from the floor and 17 of 25 from the free throw line (68%). St. Ambrose’s win along with Ashford University’s win over William Penn University and Waldorf College’s upset of Grand View University leaves SAU, Ashford and Grand View all tied for the top spot in the MCC standings.
The Tigers return home Saturday to face Mount Mercy College at 3 p.m. at Ruble Arena. The game will also be broadcast online at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score SAU 75 IWC 65
