This Week's ScheduleSunday, March 13:00 p.m. - Quincy (13-15) vs. Truman State (19-9)Following the HawksLIVE STATS
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RADIO:Â News/Talk 105.1 WGEM-FMQuincy Game Notes (.pdf)Â |Â Truman State Game Notes (.pdf)
TOURNEY TIME: The Hawks make their return to the GLVC Tournament in Sunday's first round game at Truman State. QU missed the tournament last year after advancing to the postseason the previous 11 years. The game will be a rematch of Thursday's regular season finale at Pepsi Arena which the Bulldogs won, 103-85.Â
LAST LOOK AT LAST GAME: The Hawks were given an emotional lift early in Thursday's game by a starting lineup that featured all four seniors playing their last games at Pepsi Arena. That group started the game on a 9-3 run that featured a corner 3-pointer from guard T.J. Riggs (Bloomington, Ill./Ashland University) and a power slam by center Josh Schaben (Defiance, Iowa/Iowa Lakes CC). The Bulldogs would respond to that outburst with a 19-0 run that gave them a 26-11 lead that never slipped under nine points. Both teams shot near the 50 percent mark, but the 'Dogs hit 13 threes and forced 18 tunovers - 12 in the first half.Â
TOURNEY HISTORY: This is the Hawks' 16th appearance in the GLVC Tournament. They qualified for their first conference tournament in 1995 and reached 11 straight postseasons from 2003-13, the last 10 of those under head coach Marty Bell. The Hawks have been ousted from the tourney in the first round of each of their last three appearances. QU's last win came in the first round of the 2010 tournament when it defeated Rockhurst, 87-76. (See table on Page 4.)
JA'MIL IMPRESSES: Playing his final game at Pepsi Arena on Thursday, senior guard Ja'mil Jones (Blythewood, S.C./Pasco Hernando CC) put up a solid all-around performance. He finished with a team-high 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting to go with five rebounds and four assists. Jones also knocked down three 3-pointers in 24 minutes. He was making his ninth straight start for the Hawks since replacing junior Thomas Jackson (Louisville, Ky./Cincinnati State) in the starting lineup, because of injury.
THE BRUX FACTOR: Redshirt-sophomore forward Scottie Bruxvoort (Mitchellville, Iowa/Prairie City Monroe) was also effective on the offensive end on Thursday, scoring 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the floor. The 6-foot-6 Bruxvoort used an array of post moves around the basket and showcased his ability to score in transition. Bruxvoort leads the Hawks in scoring at 11.7 points per game, despite coming off the bench in all 24 games played, and is fifth in the GLVC in field goal proficiency (.606, 109-180).Â
WITHOUT #42: The Hawks are having to learn in short period of time how to play without redshirt-sophomore Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West), who injured his ankle when he landed awkwardly going for a block against Maryville on Feb. 20. McGaughey is the Hawks' second-leading scorer (11.6) and their leading rebounder (6.6). Â
BLOCK PARTY: Junior forward has continued his dominance at defending the rim, ranking fourth in blocks per game (1.57). The 6-foot-7 Hoover has at least two blocks in five of his last six games, including four at Missouri-St. Louis last Saturday. He established a career-high five swats at McKendree on Jan. 10. As a team, the Hawks lead the GLVC in blocks per game (4.32). They have 121 stuffs on the season – their most in at least the last six seasons.
JACKSON RETURNS: Junior point guard Thomas Jackson (Louisville, Ky./Cincinnati State) made his return to the floor last Saturday after missing seven straight games with an ankle injury suffered agaisnt William Jewell on Jan. 24. Jackson played 17 minutes against the Saints, scoring five points with two assists. He played 12 minutes against the Bulldogs on Thursday.
CRASH THE GLASS: The Hawks lead the GLVC in rebounding (37.8 per game) and have been out-rebounded by their opponents in just five of their last 15 games. McGaughey leads the Hawks on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game – a figure that ranks 10th in the conference. He is one of four Hawks averaging at least four rebounds per game.
ON BALANCE: The Hawks rank fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 80.1 points per game, but do not have a player that ranks in the top 30 in the league in scoring average. Three Hawks average 10 points per game, seven average at least eight points per game and all 10 major rotation players pick up at least four points per game.
FREE THROW STRUGGLES: After setting a school record in free throw proficiency last season (.750), the Hawks have scuffled from the charity stripe this season. Quincy ranks 16th in the league in free throw shooting (.665, 449-655). QU leads the league in free throw attempts.Â
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, 88-84 to McKendree and 65-63 to Missouri-St. Louis. 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 are on sale at MetroTix.com. This year's event will be held at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., March 5-8. Â All-Tournament passes ($38) along with general admission adult ($18) and student ($11) single-session passes are available.
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