Hawks Embark on Road Trip This Weekend

This Weekend's Schedule
Thursday, Jan. 8
7:30 p.m. - Quincy (6-7, 0-3 GLVC) vs. Illinois Springfield (6-4, 0-2 GLVC)

Saturday, Jan. 10
3:00 p.m. - Quincy (6-7, 0-3 GLVC) vs. McKendree (6-3, 0-2 GLVC)

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QUINCY GAME NOTES (.pdf) | ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD GAME NOTES (.pdf)

ON THE ROAD: The Hawks will play seven of their next 10 games on the road and they open that stretch this week with games at GLVC East opponents Illinois Springfield and McKendree. Quincy has played just one true road game this season (at Truman State on Dec. 6) with its only other game away from Pepsi Arena played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City against Central Missouri.

LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The Hawks welcomed two GLVC East teams to Pepsi Arena last week, but the visitors came out on top with No. 23 Lewis taking a 79-59 win last Thursday and UW-Parkside closing out a 77-64 decision on Saturday. Quincy struggled offensively, shooting just 41.5 percent (47-118) in the two games while hitting just 46.7 percent (14-30) from the line. The Hawks held the Flyers and Rangers to 42.4 percent (53-125) shooting. UWP's Zygimantas Riauka turned in a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double and won GLVC Player of the Week honors.

UP NEXT: The Hawks have a split away/home weekend, traveling to Missouri-St. Louis (10-2, 2-0 GLVC) on Thursday before playing host to Maryville (7-4, 2-0 GLVC) on Saturday.

BALANCED BUNCH: The QU offense ranks as the sixth-best in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, averaging 81.2 points per game. Opponents have a hard time focusing on one player to shut down, because the Hawks wield so many weapons on that end of the floor. Seven Quincy players average at least 7.4 points per game, though just two players average double figures. For just the second and third times this season, the Hawks were held to fewer than 70 points against Lewis and UW-Parkside. Those two games were also the second and third times Quincy had two or fewer players score in double figures.

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 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 20.7 minutes per game off the bench. Bruxvoort also ranks third in the GLVC in field goal percentage (.667, 50-75) 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 all 10 of his games played and scored at least a dozen points seven times. Bruxvoort has missed more than three field goal attempts in a game just two times.

BLOCK PARTY: Last season, the Hawks ranked third in the GLVC in blocked shots and that success at defending the rim has carried over to the 2014-15 season. Quincy leads the conference in blocks (4.54 per game) and has blocked at least four shots in nine of 13 games. The Hawks matched a season high with eight blocks in their win over Tiffin on Dec. 20. Redshirt-sophomore forward Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West) and junior forward Dalton Hoover (Pittsfield, Ill.) have 16 blocks apiece, while junior wing Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Illinois Central) has a dozen swats. Quincy blocked six shots against the Rangers with Hoover leading the way with two.

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 34.2 points per game this season and have scored at least 25 points in 11 of Quincy's 13 games. The opponents' bench units average just 22.4 points per game against the Hawks. QU is 5-4 when the bench outscores the opponent.

FREE THROW STRUGGLES: One area where the Hawks have struggled this season is at the line. QU is shooting just 66.4 percent (217-327) from the stripe, ranking 14th in the GLVC. Their struggles at the line continued last week as they shot just 46.7 percent (14-30) at the stripe. 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 five of the last six games, including a pair of double-doubles – the first of his career. McGaughey scored 15 points against UW-Parkside on Saturday to go with seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. The redshirt-sophomore is shooting 49.5 percent (54-109) from the field and is second on the team in scoring (11.2 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 eighth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.90. He ranks 14th in the league with 3.1 assists per game. Jackson has also taken great care of the basketball with just 12 turnovers over his last 11 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 39.5 percent (17-43) from 3-point range on the season. He has also shown a tremendous ability throw down lobs and put-backs at the rim, making him a dangerous asset on the offensive side. Nicknamed "O.D." for his middle name, Eneogwe is second on the team with 14 steals and is the only QU player to score 20 points in a game twice this season.

CLOSE & LATE: The Hawks have played seven 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 2-2 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, PEACH BELT UNBEATENS: With Indianapolis at 11-0 and the Lewis women's basketball team off to a 13-0 start, the GLVC is one of just two Division II conferences to have an undefeated men's and women's basketball team. The Peach Belt Conference currently boasts a 13-0 Columbus State women's team and a 12-0 Lander men's squad.

SIX GLVC TEAMS IN NABC POLL: Three GLVC teams are ranked in the latest NABC/Division II rankings, which were released Tuesday afternoon. After jumping from ninth to seventh in the last poll, Indianapolis improved two more positions to fifth, jumping ahead one spot of Bellarmine, which stayed sixth overall. Lewis also moved ahead two positions from 23rd to 21st this week. Additionally, Drury, UW-Parkside and Southern Indiana are receiving votes outside the top 25.

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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

#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

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

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