Crucial GLVC West Games Looming This Weekend

This Weekend's Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 19
7:30 p.m. - Quincy (12-13, 6-9 GLVC) at Missouri-St. Louis (16-9, 8-7 GLVC)

Saturday, Feb. 21
3:15 p.m. - Quincy (12-13, 6-9 GLVC) vs. Maryville (10-14, 5-10 GLVC)

Following the Hawks
LIVE STATS (at UMSL) | LIVE STATS (vs. Maryville)
WATCH (at UMSL - $7) | WATCH (vs. Maryville)
RADIO: ESPN 1440 WGEM-AM

Quincy Game Notes (.pdf)

HOME STRETCH: The 2014-15 regular season is at the final media timeout and coming down to the final minutes as the Hawks look to secure their 12th GLVC Tournament bid in the last 13 seasons and possibly play host to a first round tournament game. With three games to go, Quincy can still finish as high as seventh in the GLVC Tournament seedings. The Hawks travel to Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday before Saturday's home date against Maryville, a team that defeated QU on a buzzer-beating tip-in on Jan. 15.

LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The Hawks took on No. 7 Indianapolis on Thursday in their second consecutive game against a top-seven ranked team. The Greyhounds defeated Quincy, 95-76, at Pepsi Arena, shooting 54 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range. The Hawks bounced back nicely on Saturday with a comprehensive 86-73 win over visiting Saint Joseph's. The Hawks shot 56 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Pumas, 45-27. QU totaled 20 assists on 32 field goals and shot 80 percent from the line.

UP NEXT: The Hawks play their final game of the regular season on Feb. 26 when Truman State (17-8, 9-6 GLVC) pays a visit to Pepsi Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

HALF TAKEOVERS: On Saturday against Saint Joseph's, junior Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Maine West) scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half to help QU get out to a 40-33 lead. He shot 6-for-7 from the field in the half and was 9-for-11 in the game. Redshirt-sophomore forward Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West) provided the punches in the second half as the Hawks pulled away with an 86-73 win. McGaughey scored 19 of his season-high 21 points after halftime, while collecting a game-high 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. McGaughey shot 9-for-15 from the field in the game and also matched a season high with four assists. It was the third time this season two Quincy players scored at least 20 points and the first time it happened in a regulation game.

MCGAUGHEY SCORING: McGaughey leads the team in scoring (11.5) this season – one-hundredth of a point better than fellow redshirt-sophomore forward Scott Bruxvoort (Mitchellville, Iowa/Prairie City Monroe) – and is nearing the 50 percent mark from the field (.495, 105-212). He has scored in double figures 15 times this season and has led the Hawks in scoring eight times.

O.D.'S WEEK: Eneogwe started the week off by scoring 15 points in a defeat to No. 7 Indianapolis. "O.D." also grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and had three steals. He followed that with a 20-point, six-rebound, three-steal, two-block performance in just 20 minutes against the Pumas. He shot 60 percent (15-25) from the floor last week.

THE BRUX FACTOR: Bruxvoort led the Hawks in scoring against the Greyhounds, coming off the bench to score 18 points – 14 coming in the first half. He was 8-for-13 from the field in the game and ranks fifth in the GLVC in field goal percentage (.600, 93-155). Bruxvoort is second on the team in scoring (11.5) and also averages 4.3 rebounds per game. He has at least three rebounds in each of his last seven games. Bruxvoort sat out Saturday's game against Saint Joseph's with symptoms of a concussion, though he is expected to play this week against UMSL and Maryville.

JA'MIL DISHING: Senior point guard Ja'mil Jones (Blythewood, S.C./Pasco Hernando CC) has started the last six games for the Hawks as junior Thomas Jackson (Louisville, Ky./Cincinnati State) has nursed an ankle injury. In his starting role over the last three weeks, Jones is averaging 11.7 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 7-for-15 from 3-point range. He has at least five assists in four of those games, including the last two. Jackson is expected to miss another week with his injury. He was averaging 9.7 points and 3.1 assists per game before hurting his ankle late in a game against William Jewell on Jan. 24.

GIVEAWAYS: Where the Hawks have struggled without Jackson is ball security. In their six games without the Louisville, Ky. product, the Hawks are averaging 18.7 turnovers per game and have lost the turnover battle in five of those games. Jackson was averaging less than two turnovers per game as the Hawks' floor general.

CRASH THE GLASS: The Hawks lead the GLVC in rebounding (38.3 per game) and have been out-rebounded by their opponents in just three of their last 12 games. Over that stretch, the Hawks are winning the rebounding margin by an average of 4.8 boards per game. McGaughey leads the Hawks on the glass with 7.1 rebounds per game – a figure that ranks 10th in the conference. He is one of four Hawks averaging at least four rebounds per game. The Hawks pounded the Pumas on the boards, 45-27, for their largest rebounding margin against a GLVC team since a 61-42 win at Maryville Jan. 28, 2012 (+27).

ON BALANCE: The Hawks rank fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 80.8 points per game, but with just one player (McGaughey, 28th) ranked in the top 30 in scoring. Three Hawks average 10 points per game, six average at least eight points per game and all 10 major rotation players pick up at least four points per game.

BLOCK PARTY: The Hawks currently lead the GLVC in blocked shots, averaging 4.36 blocked shots per game. The Hawks have 109 blocks on the season. Junior forward Dalton Hoover (Pittsfield, Ill.) ranks third in the league with 1.52 blocks per game, while McGaughey is seventh in th conference at 1.20 swats. Hoover blocked five shots last week, including three against Indianapolis.

FREE THROW STRUGGLES: After setting a school record in free throw proficiency last season, the Hawks have scuffled from the charity stripe this season. Quincy ranks 16th in the league in free throw shooting (.663, 409-617). The Hawks shot just 57.7 percent (15-26) at the line against UIndy, but sank their freebies at an 80 percent (16-20) clip against the Pumas. QU leads the league in free throw attempts.

HEARTBREAK CITY: Quincy's overtime loss to Drury on Jan. 31 was the second time this season the Hawks have been snakebitten by an opponent buzzer-beater. On Jan. 15, Maryville trailed Quincy by one and missed a 3-pointer, but scored on a tip-in just before the buzzer sounded to knock off the Hawks. QU has also lost 69-67 to Grand Valley State, 74-73 to Lindenwood and 88-84 to McKendree. On Jan. 25, the Hawks lost in overtime to defending national champion Central Missouri. The defeat to Drury marked the second straight year the Hawks and Panthers have gone to an extra period.

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. The Hawks have gone to overtime against the defending national champions in each of the last two years after losing to Central Missouri, 90-84, on Nov. 25. QU is 1-2 in overtime games this season.

GLVC TICKETS: Tickets for the 2015 GLVC Basketball Championship Tournament went are on sale at MetroTix.com. This year's event will be held at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., March 5-8. All-Tournament passes ($38) along with general admission adult ($18) and student ($11) single-session passes are available.

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Players Mentioned

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

#1 Ja'mil Jones: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#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

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

#1 Ja'mil Jones
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

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

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

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