DAVENPORT, Iowa - It turned out to be a special night for Ashford University's Daniel Joiner, even in the midst of defeat.

The senior guard from West Chicago, Ill., entered his name as the most prolific scorer in school history inside a packed Lee Lohman Arena and tied a season-high 29-point effort to overshadow a narrow defeat in an overtime battle to St. Ambrose University (13-7, 5-2 MCC) on Thursday, 84-75.

St. Ambrose reserve Alex Burkle scored seven of his 12 points in the extra frame as Ashford's (12-9, 3-4 MCC) offense stalled to the tune of two baskets and were outscored 13-4 in overtime. Fighting Bees' forward Mike Kennedy scored a game-high 35 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

AU sophomore Matthias Burns of Chicago made a play designated for the highlight reels, scoring the game's final basket in regulation with a ferocious, one-handed put-back slam dunk that tied the score at 71-all.

Ashford owned the final possession after Kennedy missed a three-point attempt and the Saints had a chance to win with 21 seconds left.

After Joiner lost the handle for a turnover, confusion ensued after Burns blocked a full-court heave that went out of bounds. The referees initially ruled possession for St. Ambrose, but then changed the arrow to Ashford. After convening once more, the ball was handed back to the Fighting Bees with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

Kennedy got off a turn-around jumper at the buzzer, but was well short of drawing any iron.

Joiner surpassed former Mount St. Clare All-American guard Andre Childs (2000-2004) and his 1,515 points. He now has 1,531 in his career to date and also scored 29 points in a win against Missouri Baptist in November.

Joiner came into tonight's game just 14 points shy of the career milestone. He came out with a full head of steam, scoring the game's first nine points on a 3-pointer, a layup and a rare four-point play as the Saints opened with an 11-0 run -- all within two minutes of the tipoff.

Joiner equaled Childs' old mark on the second of a pair of free throws at the 3:14 mark in the first half and eclipsed the record on a trifecta with 52 seconds before halftime. His feat also included a double-double on the night, pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds.

The well-traveled Ashford contingent rose to their feet and gave Joiner a sustained round of applause as they tracked his every basket. He will be presented with the game ball when Ashford hosts Mt. Mercy College on Saturday.

What made it more special were his parents, Dennis and Del, in attendance. Always familiar faces in the crowd, his father estimates they have attended all but 10-to-12 games in Daniel's career and he spoke glowingly of his son's accomplishment at halftime.

"I wouldn't have missed this moment for the world," the elder Joiner said. "I'm feeling utter excitement. My son has amazed me over the course of time and he continues to be grounded."

After coming up a bit short on a finger-roll layup and the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity, Joiner made history by draining the 3-point field goal, several feet beyond the line. But you could see it in his eyes postgame that he wanted the win just as bad as the career feat.

"I feel very blessed and it was a really good feeling knowing I have support in the stands," Joiner said. "It does feel good to get that monkey off my back. I had a feeling I would get it done tonight, but I didn't want to jinx myself."

"But it came down to being inconsistent on our part," he added. "We had some offensive and defensive lapses towards the end in what turned out to be a winnable game."

Ashford's early momentum slowly dissolved as SAU went on an 8-0 run and took an eight-point lead into the intermission after Fighting Bees' guard Justin Tiner nailed a 3-pointer as time expired.

The Saints erased the deficit six minutes into the second half on a basket by senior Byron Emerson of Rockford. Emerson would also make a clutch three-pointer to negate a Kennedy trey with just over a minute to play.

Junior guard Devin Ehrich of Thomson, Ill., gave the Saints the lead again with eight minutes left, but Kennedy would score SAU's next eight points before Burns' emphatic dunk capped another AU comeback.

Burns finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season.

The Saints host Mt. Mercy College on Saturday in Kehl Arena for another Midwest Collegiate Conference showdown. Tip is set for 3 p.m.