Hawks Take On GLVC West's Best This Week

This Weekend's Schedule
Thursday, Jan. 15
7:30 p.m. - Quincy (7-8, 1-4 GLVC) at Maryville (8-5, 3-1 GLVC)

Saturday, Jan. 17
3:15 p.m. - Quincy (7-8, 1-4 GLVC) vs. Missouri-St. Louis (11-3, 3-1 GLVC)

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Quincy Game Notes (.pdf) | Maryville Game Notes (.pdf)

BEST OF THE WEST: The Hawks wrap up a three-game road trip on Thursday night when they travel to St. Louis for a matchup against Maryville. They then open a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against Missouri-St. Louis. The Tritons and Saints are tied atop the GLVC West standings – 2.5 games ahead of Quincy – and are both coming off a split weekend, each defeating Lewis but falling to UW-Parkside on the road.

LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: Quincy knocked off Illinois Springfield in a wire-to-wire win over the Prairie Stars, 87-76. The Hawks shot a season-high 59.6 percent (31-52) from the field and also buried a season-best nine 3-pointers. Four different players hit two 3-pointers in the game. Junior wing Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Illinois Central) led the Hawks with 17 points and helped the Hawks to an 18-2 edge in fast break points. On Sunday, the Hawks traveled to Lebanon, Ill., but fell to McKendree, 88-84. QU led by as many as seven in the second half, but the Bearcats shot 90.5 percent (19-21) from the line in the second half to secure a win.

UP NEXT: The Hawks continue their three game-homestand next week when they play host to GLVC West opponents Rockhurst and William Jewell.

SHOOTING STEPS: The Hawks have struggled from the 3-point line this season, ranking 12th in the GLVC in 3-pointers made and 15th in 3-point percentage, but they may have made some small strides last week. Quincy sank 16 threes last week, their most in consecutive games this season. The Hawks shot 52.9 percent and hit a season-high nine treys against the Stars last Thursday. QU is 3-2 when it shoots at least 40 percent from the 3-point line.

FLOOR GAME: Sophomore guard Herm Senor II (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) returned to his hometown last Thursday and played a terrific game in front of his home supporters. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound combo guard scored 12 points to go with six rebounds and a career-high seven assists. Senor also had two steals. He followed that up with an 11-point, three-rebound, three-assist performance at McKendree. For the season, Senor is averaging 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

BALANCED BUNCH: The QU offense ranks as the fourth-best in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, averaging 81.7 points per game. Seven Quincy players average at least 7.6 points per game with three players over the double-digit mark. The Hawks scored at least 80 points for the sixth and seventh times last week – though it was the first time they hit that mark since Dec. 16.

THE BRUX FACTOR: Quincy's top scorer has not even been a member of the team's starting lineup. Redshirt-sophomore forward Scottie Bruxvoort (Mitchellville, Iowa/Prairie City Monroe) is averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in just 20.6 minutes per game off the bench. Bruxvoort also ranks fourth in the GLVC in field goal percentage (.655, 55-84) as he has been able to establish position in the paint and also been effective in the transitition game. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has scored at least eight points in 11 of his 12 games played and scored at least a dozen points seven times.

FIVE SWATS: Junior forward Dalton Hoover (Pittsfield, Ill.) has now turned away 10 shots in the last three games, including a career-high five blocks against McKendree. The 6-foot-7, 225-pounder ranks third in the GLVC with 1.6 blocks per game and leads the conference in total blocks (24).

BLOCK PARTY: Hoover is not the only player taking control of the paint. Quincy leads the conference in blocks (4.8 per game) and has blocked at least four shots in 11 of 15 games. Three times the Hawks have blocked eight shots, including against McKendree on Saturday. Redshirt-sophomore forward Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West) has 18 blocks and Eneogwe has blocked 14 shots.

CHECKING IN: The QU bench unit has been very productive in its minutes on the floor, no doubt helped by the infusion of four seniors in that group. Marty Bell's reserves are averaging 35 points per game this season and have scored at least 25 points in 13 of Quincy's 15 games. The opponents' bench units average just 23.7 points per game against the Hawks.

FREE THROW STRUGGLES: One area where the Hawks have struggled this season is at the line. QU is shooting just 66 percent (248-376) from the stripe, ranking 15th in the GLVC. The Hawks have shot just 57 percent (45-79) from the line. The Hawks rank second in the GLVC in free throw attempts behind Missouri S&T. Last season, the Hawks led the conference and set a school record by shooting 76 percent. They were helped by since-graduated Chris Babbitt, who shot 87.6 percent from the line in 2013-14.

MCGAUGHEY HEATING UP: After a slow start to the season, Evan McGaughey is finding his groove as the Hawks get into the grind of GLVC play. The 6-foot-9 inside-out forward has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games, including a season-high 19 points against McKendree. He also had seven rebounds and three assists in the game. The redshirt-sophomore is shooting 50 percent (62-124) from the field and is second on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game).

BALLHANDLING: Junior guard Thomas Jackson (Louisville, Ky./Cincinnati State) has been a stabilizing presence at the point guard position for the Hawks. While the Hawks rank in the middle of the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio, the 6-foot-0, 170-pounder has made ball security a priority. Jackson ranks sixth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.09. He ranks 13th in the league with 3.1 assists per game. Jackson has also taken great care of the basketball with just 13 turnovers over his last 13 games. The Hawks' top point guard has not turned the ball over three times in game since the second game of the season.

FITTING IN: Eneogwe is the Hawks' other junior college transfer and the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing from Chicago has been a force with his high-flying athleticism and ability to shoot from long range. Eneogwe is shooting 37 percent (20-54) from 3-point range on the season. He has also shown a tremendous ability throw down lobs and dunks in transition, including three slams against UIS last Thursday. Nicknamed "O.D." for his middle name, Eneogwe is second on the team with 17 steals and is the only QU player to score 20 points in a game twice this season.

CLOSE & LATE: The Hawks have played 11 Division II opponents so far this season and five of those games have been decided by one possession or gone to overtime. QU defeated Ferris State, 109-107, in triple overtime in the season opener. The Hawks have narrow defeats to Grand Valley State (69-67) and Lindenwood (74-73) and fell in overtime to defending national champion Central Missouri, 90-84. They also played Tiffin to the final possession, defeating the Dragons, 77-76. QU is 2-3 in games decided by five points or less.

DIVISION I EXPERIENCE: The Hawks played two exhibition games against Division I opponents this season, squaring off with the Big Ten's Illinois in the preseason in Champaign and taking on Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference on Dec. 29 in Normal, Ill. The Hawks and Redbirds have now played seven times in the last eight seasons. Quincy played a third exhibition game, coming in the preseason, when it hosted Division III Blackburn at Pepsi Arena.

THREE EXTRA FRAMES: When the Hawks won their triple-OT affair against Ferris State, it was QU's first time going three overtimes since losing to Saint Joseph's, 104-103, in the NCAA Tournament regional final in Owensboro, Ky. in 2010. The Hawks went overtime just once in 2013-14, falling to then-defending national champion Drury, 92-87, at Pepsi Arena. That makes two consecutive seasons the Hawks have taken the defending national champion to OT.

GLVC UNDEFEATEDS: With Indianapolis at 13-0 and the top-ranked Lewis women's basketball team at 15-0, the GLVC is now the only Division II conference to have an undefeated men's and women's basketball team. The Peach Belt Conference currently boasts a 14-0 Columbus State women's team, but saw its Lander men's team fall to 13-1 last week.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Chris Babbitt: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#5 Scottie Bruxvoort: G/F; 6' 6"; Redshirt Sophomore

#40 Dalton Hoover: F/C; 6' 7"; Junior

#42 Evan McGaughey: G/F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#14 Herm Senor II: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#4 Thomas Jackson: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#24 Godson Eneogwe: G/F; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Chris Babbitt
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#5 Scottie Bruxvoort
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G/F

#40 Dalton Hoover
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F/C

#42 Evan McGaughey
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G/F

#14 Herm Senor II
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#4 Thomas Jackson
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#24 Godson Eneogwe
: 6' 6"; Junior
: G/F