A slow start was a sign of things to come as No. 11 St. Ambrose fell at Olivet Nazarene 89-68 Tuesday night.

The loss, SAU's second of the season to ONU and the Bees' first by more than two points all year, drops the team to 9-4 overall.

The Bees watched the Tigers rip off the game's first seven points and things never got better.

Olivet Nazarene (9-4) built a double-digit lead just over six minutes in and took a 40-27 lead into the halftime break.

Down 64-42 midway through the second half, St. Ambrose put its best stretch together. Tylon Deal scored before Darian White and Paul Beene each hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 14 at 64-50 with just under 10 minutes remaining.

ONU responded by scoring six straight points to restore a 20-point lead before SAU made a final push. Sam Ainsworth completed a three-point play and White hit two free throws to get the margin back down to 15, but that was the Bees' last gasp.

The Tigers extended the lead to 24 points and coasted to the win.

SAU shot only 39 percent from the floor while ONU shot at a 52.3-percent clip. SAU was also hammered on the boards 52-23 with the Tigers grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.

Beene and Ainsworth led the Bees with 15 points each. White scored 13 and Nick Frazier added 11. Frazier scored his 1,800th career point in defeat.

Sunday, St. Ambrose will begin play in the three-day Saint Xavier Midwest Tournament. SAU will battle Marian Sunday at 4 p.m. before facing No. 6 Davenport Monday at 4 p.m. The Bees' opponent on Tuesday will be determined after the second day.