After watching St. Ambrose squander all of a 20-point, second-half lead, Will Spriggs became the hero. The senior guard knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 5.5 seconds to go to lift the Bees to a 79-76 win over visiting Governors State Wednesday night in Lee Lohman Arena.

An Atem Agot dunk gave St. Ambrose (14-8, 7-8 CCAC) a 57-37 lead just four minutes into the second half. But Governors State (10-13, 6-9 CCAC) scored the next six points of a larger 12-2 run that closed the gap to 59-49 with 12 minutes remaining.

The Jaguars continued to chip away.

The Bees led 76-68 after a pair of Ignacio Dacunda free throws with 2:43 to play. But SAU would come up empty on its next four possessions allowing GSU to score eight straight points, the last two coming from the line that tied the game at 76-76 with 35 seconds left.

Following a timeout, Spriggs dribbled down the clock before burying what proved to be the game-winning shot from the top of the key. Governors State's desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark.

St. Ambrose appeared poised to cruise to victory after shooting better than 51 percent from the floor in the first half. That allowed the Bees to build a 45-29 halftime lead.

SAU continued to shoot well in the second half, hitting at a 50-percent clip, in ultimately pushing the lead to 20 points. But GSU, who also shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, was able to close the gap thanks to hitting 14 free throws in 15 attempts over the final 20 minutes. The Bees also committed 10 second-half turnovers to aid the Jaguars' cause.

Agot led St. Ambrose with 17 points. Spriggs scored 15 and Dacunda finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Bees got balanced scoring throughout the lineup as Grant Mason scored nine points and Guillermo Narbona came off the bench to contribute eight points, 14 rebounds and four assists.

Austin Born and Collin Wainscott each scored five, Solomon Garrison netted four and Kieran Farrell added three points.

St. Ambrose will host Indiana South Bend Saturday.