DAVENPORT, Iowa — Indiana University Northwest fought hard in a physical road matchup but couldn't overcome a strong second half by Saint Ambrose, falling 79–42 Wednesday evening at Lee Lohman Arena in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

The RedHawks opened the game with strong inside touches from Isabella Soria to stay close early. IU Northwest continued to compete in the second quarter, but Saint Ambrose steadily extended its advantage building a 37–18 lead at halftime.

Saint Ambrose maintained control after the break, using size and depth to score in transition and in the paint while limiting IU Northwest's open looks. The Bees pushed their lead into double digits early in the third quarter, and the RedHawks struggled to find offensive rhythm down the stretch against the home team's defense.

Soria led IU Northwest with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including two triples, while Gracie Little added nine points and contributed on the boards. Ava Kingery scored eight points, and Madelyn Murray chipped in six points. EJ Brown-Griffin finished with eight points and five rebounds as the RedHawks shot 30 percent (16-56) from the field and 12 percent (3-24) from deep but often faced a larger and more physical Saint Ambrose frontcourt. IU Northwest did hold an advantage in rebounds and assists but was hampered by 20 turnovers that led to extra scoring opportunities for the Bees.

IU Northwest returns home Saturday, Feb. 7, hosting St. Francis (Ill.) at the Savannah Center with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the RedHawks will recognize four seniors — Maggie Grady, EJ Brown-Griffin, Diamond Howell and Emma Schmidt — for their contributions to the program.