St. Ambrose goes cold from floor in loss at Mount Mercy
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (1-2, 0-0) | 14 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 52 |
|
Mount Mercy (2-1, 0-0) | 17 | 21 | 25 | 8 | 71 |
St. Ambrose shot less than 33 percent from the floor in falling to Mount Mercy 71-52 Thursday night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Bees were just 19-of-58 from the field, a 32.8-percent mark, and hit just 5-of-25 from 3-point range. The team also struggled from the line, making just 9-of-20 free throws.
SAU's defense allowed the team to stay close early. The Bees forced the Mustangs into a 5-for-16 effort from the field in the opening quarter as the Bees trailed just 17-14 after one.
But in the second quarter, St. Ambrose was just 4-of-15 from the floor, including a 1-for-8 mark from beyond the arc, as Mount Mercy (2-1) was able to open a 38-25 halftime lead.
SAU trailed just 20-18 one minute into the second quarter following a Mary Gruber jumper. But the Mustangs would outscore the Bees 14-1 over the next five minutes to take control.
The third quarter wasn't much better as the Bees shot just 4-of-12 overall and misfired on all three 3-point attempts in falling behind 63-38.
A strong fourth quarter, which saw SAU outscore Mount Mercy 14-8, wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Abby Wolter led the Bees with 13 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Olivia Harter also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
Caitlyn Thole, who grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, and Elly Doe each scored eight points. Gruber dropped in six points, Caroline Cool finished with five and Payton Calouette added two.
St. Ambrose will play its home opener Saturday against Briar Cliff.