SAU had slow first and third quarters as the V-Hawks upended the Bees 74-62 in a critical conference match in La Crosse, Wis. Foul trouble also put a toll on St. Ambrose as four starters were in foul trouble throughout the contest.

Viterbo doubled-up St. Ambrose after one quarter at 18-9.

A 3-pointer from Olivia Harter started the 24-point second quarter for St. Ambrose. As SAU shined in the second period, they also slowly chipped away at the score deficit. 

Abby Wolter and Caitlyn Thole netted layups only 20 seconds apart from one another to spark a seven-point run for the Bees. Thole and Allie Govert sunk three free throws combined to cap off that offensive spark before the halftime break.

Two more Thole free throws capped the second period scoring for SAU, but Viterbo netted a single free throw to take the two-point lead at the break.

Thole dominated at the charity stripe as she drained all four of her free throws early in the third period. That would be the only offensive power from the Bees for the next two minutes.

Carrieanne Hungate scored a layup at the 2:39 mark and then St. Ambrose went scoreless for the rest of the period.

SAU was outscored 25-13 in the third period and foul trouble started to creep into the roster of St. Ambrose. Foul trouble started to send Bees to the bench. 

As SAU was plagued with fouls, the Bees looked to climb out of a 14-point deficit to start the final period. 

Backed by a Wolter six-point quarter, St. Ambrose was able to outscore the V-Hawks, but only by two points which was not enough to create a dent into Viterbo's lead. 

With this 74-62 loss, the Bees move one game out of the conference tournament, but will look to win-out the remainder of the regular season. The Bees drop to 8-16 overall and 6-11 in conference play.

SAU grabbed four more rebounds than the V-Hawks, 34-30. 

Offensively and defensively, Wolter came up big for her squad with a double-double. She scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while collecting three steals.

Thole scored 14, and went eight-of-nine from the charity stripe. Hungate netted 10. Mary Gruber and Harter added nine and seven, respectively. 

Thole grabbed five boards. Payton Calouette, Harter, and Hungate all grabbed four boards for the Bees. 

The Bees have one final regular-season road contest at Indiana Northwest this weekend before returning to Lee Lohman Arena for two more conference games. This weekend SAU tips off at 1 p.m. CST in Gary, Ind. at the Savannah Center Gymnasium.