St. Ambrose shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half to pull away for a 73-52 season-opening win at Hannibal-LaGrange Friday night. It was a great first step to erasing the memories of a 10-win season last year.

After watching a 29-21 halftime lead slip away to just a one-point advantage early in the second half, SAU used an 8-0 run to find some breathing room. Ty McLane capped the run with the final five points, his only points of the night.

Later, a 17-3 run would be decisive. Nick Frazier had six points and Tylon Deal had four during the spurt that turned a 54-46 lead into a 71-49 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

After hitting just 10-of-30 shots in the first half, the Bees connected on 18-of-27 shots over the final 20 minutes to finish at 49.1 percent shooting for the game. Along with the strong shooting, St. Ambrose grabbed a 41-25 edge on the boards.

Deal led the Bees with 17 points. Frazier helped SAU to an early lead with 11 of his 14 points coming in the first half. Darian White also finished in double figures with 10 points.

St. Ambrose will tip-off the home portion of its schedule Tuesday night by hosting Crossroads (Minn.). The game is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Lee Lohman Arena.