St. Ambrose matched conference-leading Olivet Nazarene shot for shot Saturday afternoon. But a Tiger 3-pointer in the closing seconds was the difference as the Bees fell 95-93 on Senior Day in Lee Lohman Arena.

Caitlyn Thole had tied the game at 90-90 with a three with 28 seconds left. But ONU ran the clock down and ultimately hit what proved to be the game winning triple from the top of the arc with five seconds remaining.

SAU turned the ball over on the inbound pass, which led to two ONU free throws for a 95-90 lead. Jayla Stirgus buried a three from the corner at the buzzer to account for the final score.

In a contrast of styles, St. Ambrose (12-14, 9-9 CCAC) shot nearly 51 percent from the floor and scored 52 points in the paint. Olivet Nazarene shot less than 39 percent overall and only had 30 points in the paint, but connected on 16-of-42 3-point attempts. SAU was just 6-of-19 from distance.

Each team finished 17-of-24 from the line.

Both teams were plagued by turnovers.

The Bees turned the ball over 33 times which turned into 45 Tiger points. ONU committed 30 turnovers which led to 28 SAU points.

St. Ambrose got off to a great start.

Abby Wolter scored six points, Olivia Harter had four and Thole added two as the Bees raced out to a 12-2 start.

The Tigers made just one of their first eight shots and committed four early turnovers as the lead grew to 15-4 midway through the period.

Olivet Nazarene (20-6, 16-2 CCAC) recovered to trail just 22-18 after one and then outscored SAU 24-15 in the second to take a 42-37 lead at the half. That proved to be the only quarter the Tigers would win.

St. Ambrose was within 68-64 entering the final frame before ONU pushed ahead 79-68 early in the fourth. With the Bees trailing 80-70 with six minutes on the clock, a Payton Calouette three-point play sparked a rally.

Calouette scored seven straight points before Wolter and Thole each scored to put SAU in front 81-80. A Thole jumper capped the 13-0 run that gave the Bees an 83-80 lead with 3:27 left. The teams exchanged threes with one from Stirgus putting St. Ambrose in front 86-83 with 2:32 remaining. Another ONU three tied the game at 86-86 and the Tigers pushed ahead 90-87 before Thole's big three setup the final sequence.

Wolter had a huge game, finishing with 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks before fouling out with 1:21 remaining and the game tied at 86-86.

Calouette came off the bench to contribute 8 points, five rebounds and five steals. Thole had 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Stirgus dropped in 14 points and handed out six assists.

Harter scored seven points, Mary Gruber had three, Isabella Hutchinson finished with two and Erin Jolin added one.

Prior to the game, SAU recognized its five seniors - Wolter, Thole, Calouette, Harter and Emma Rutter.

SAU will get a forfeit win over Trinity Christian Wednesday and will then close the regular season at Judson next Saturday. The CCAC Tournament will begin Feb. 24.