St. Ambrose rallied from a 21-point deficit but came up short in a 79-78 loss to #12 Iowa Wesleyan Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.

The Bees finish the regular season 22-8 overall and fourth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference with a 10-6 league mark. SAU will host Grand View in a conference tournament quarterfinal Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Iowa Wesleyan (21-4, 13-3 MCC) came out hot, taking a 21-point lead at 43-22 before settling for a 48-30 halftime lead. The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, in the first half.

After shooting just 33 percent, the Bees found their rhythm offensively in the second half. Justin Blondell and Bren Gillespie (pictured right) each scored five points as part of a 12-0 run to open the second half and get SAU back into the game.

Blondell's three-point play gave St. Ambrose its first lead of the afternoon at 76-75 with 1:38 to go. After the Tigers regained the lead, Blondell came through again with a driving layup to push the Bees back in front with 33 seconds left.

IWC hit 1-of-2 from the line to knot the score, giving the Bees an apparent chance to win the game. But Gillespie missed a 3-pointer and Mike Kennedy was called for an over-the-back foul with 1.5 seconds on the clock. IWC's Davis Warner hit the first of two free throws and Gillespie's turnaround shot at the buzzer was off the mark.

Kennedy finished with team highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Tiner and Blondell (pictured right) each scored 16 while Chris Donnelly chipped in with 14 and Gillespie netted 12.

Before the game, SAU honored its five seniors - Bryce Davis, Bren Gillespie, Joe Speth, Justin Tiner and Ben Turk - playing their final regular season home game.

The Bees will now turn their attention to Wednesday's conference tournament opener at home against Grand View.