Maryville, UMSL Visit Pepsi Arena To Take on Hawks

Quincy University Hawks (11-5, 5-2 GLVC) vs. Maryville University Saints (7-10, 1-6 GLVC)
Jan. 21, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.
Pepsi Arena - Quincy, IL

Quincy University Hawks (11-5, 5-2 GLVC) vs. University of Missouri-St. Louis (6-10, 0-7 GLVC)
Jan. 23, 2016 | 3:15 p.m.
Pepsi Arena - Quincy, IL

BACK AT PEPSI: The Quincy University men's basketball team returns to Pepsi Arena this week as the Hawks take on Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis in GLVC divisional play. Last season, the Hawks split with both teams, winning both games at Pepsi Arena and dropping a pair in St. Louis. Maryville and UMSL were paired with Quincy and Truman the last two years in the same scheduling "pod," meaning they played home-and-home series each year. This season, the QU and TSU are matched with Rockhurst and Jewell.

STAYING HOT: The Hawks are coming off an impressive road split at Southern Indiana and No. 9 Bellarmine with QU knocking off the Screaming Eagles, 96-92, in the final minute last Thursday before dropping a tough one to the Knights, 81-79, on Saturday in Louisville. No team has swept USI and BU – home or away – in the same weekend since UW-Parkside and Lewis did it in the same weekend in Jan. 2014.

UP NEXT: The Hawks are on the road the next two weeks as they play six of their final nine regular season games away from Pepsi Arena. The stretch starts at Drury and Missouri S&T next week.

QUICK LOOK BACK: The Hawks trailed for the entire second half against USI until junior guard Herm Senor II (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) ripped away a steal and scored on a fastbreak layup with 50 seconds remaining. That gave QU a 92-91 lead. The Hawks then got a stop and junior guard Von Washington III (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central/Western Michigan) knocked down 4-of-5 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. On Saturday, Quincy and Bellarmine traded the lead 11 times in the second half, but BU got the upper hand with a George Suggs 3-pointer with 49 seconds left. Senor's midcourt heave back-rimmed at the buzzer to send QU to an 81-79 defeat.

ON FIRE: Senior wing Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Maine West/Illinois Central) was red-hot last week as a 3-point shooter. He came into the two games having made just seven treys on the season. Eneogwe totaled 19 3-pointers by week's end. The Chicago native knocked down a dozen 3-pointers, including seven while scoring a career-high 25 points against the Screaming Eagles on Thursday. Eneogwe raised his 3-point accuracy to 35.2 percent for the season. He is averaging 21 points per game over the last three contests, scoring 19, 25 and 19 points respectively in those games. Eneogwe also increased his scoring average from 6.6 to 9.3 points per game.

SENOR DISHING: Since being inserted as the Hawks' starting point guard on Jan. 9, Senor has been exceptional as the team's lead ball-handler and decision-maker. In the last three games, Senor has 24 assists compared to just three turnovers. He now ranks sixth in the GLVC in assists per game (4.25) and second in the circuit in assist-turnover ratio (3.09). That latter figure ranks 17th in the nation. Senor has turned the ball over three times just twice this season. He nearly had a double-double at Bellarmine, going for 13 points while matching a career high with nine assists. In the game prior to becoming the starter, Senor scored a career-high 23 points against Illinois Springfield on Jan. 7.

THEY COME IN THREES: The Hawks continued their trend of hot shooting from 3-point range last week by making 29 triples over the two games, shooting 41.4 percent from long distance. With that performance, the Hawks took over the GLVC lead in 3-pointers made per game (9.56). They accomplished this without having one individual player ranking in the top 15 in the GLVC in that category. Eight Hawks have hit at least 10 3-pointers on the season, and all but one are shooting at least 35 percent from that range. Senior guard Nate Des Jardins (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) leads the Hawks and ranks seventh in the league with a 47.1 3-point percentage (32-68). Last season, the Hawks were 15th in the GLVC in threes per game and 11th in 3-point percentage. Their shooting proficiency has helped Quincy to average 86 points per game, which ranks second in the league.

SHARING IS CARING: The Hawks also lead the conference in ball distribution, averaging 17.44 assists per game. Senor leads the team with 4.3 assists per contest, and before he was injured, senior guard Thomas Jackson (Louisville, Ky./Jeffersontown/Cincinnati State) averaged 3.2 per game. Junior forward Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West) is also an effective distributor from the post and the perimeter, averaging 4.2 assists per game over the last five contests.

MCGAUGHEY STATS: McGaughey put together another solid week of production as the Hawks' inside-out post player. The redshirt-junior scored 10 points against USI and BU and averaged eight rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He has three double-doubles in the last six games and has raised his rebounding average from 6.3 to 7.6 in that stretch. McGaughey has also scored at least 10 points in the last six games and dished out at least four assists in the last five games. He matched a career high with five helpers against the Knights. For the season, McGaughey is averaging 12.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 56.5 percent (74-131) from the floor and 38.7 percent (12-31) from 3-point range. He is also third in the GLVC in blocks (1.4) and tied for 13th in steals (1.3).

TAGS KEEPS SCORING: Junior transfer forward Joseph Tagarelli (Bayside, Wis./Waunakee/Kirkwood CC) leads the Hawks and ranks ninth in the GLVC with 17 points per game. The 6-foot-5 Tagarelli has been a remarkably consistent force on the block, scoring in double figures in all but one game this season. He leads the GLVC in field goals made (118) and is tops in the league in scoring among players who have not made at least 10 3-pointers. He is on pace to have the highest scoring average for a QU player since Justin Brock avearged 17.7 points per game in 2011-12.

FOUR PLAYERS OUT: When Jackson suffered a broken arm in a Jan. 7 game against Illinois Springfield, he became the fourth QU player to be declared out for the season due to injury. He joined senior guard Grant Meyer (Sellersburg, Ind./Silver Creek), senior center Dalton Hoover (Pittsfield, Ill.) and redshirt-junior forward Scottie Bruxvoort (Mitchellville, Iowa/Prairie City Monroe), who all suffered knee injuries.

THREE FOR III: Junior guard Von Washington III (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central/Western Michigan) had his string of eight straight games with at least two 3-pointers snapped at USI last week. After making just three triples in his first six games as a Hawk, Washington averaged three 3-pointers per game over eight games after that. He is shooting 37.3 percent (28-75) from long distance and ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg).

ALSO NEW: Another first-year transfer, sophomore wing Bobby Frasco (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect/Buffalo), has also made an impression on the QU coaching staff for his versatility. Coming into the program as a guard, the injuries to Quincy's post players have pushed the 6-foot-3 Frasco into the fray at the '4' spot. The Mt. Prospect native has at least four rebounds in four of the last seven games. He scored six points and collected five rebounds at Bellarmine. He also blocked four shots in 15 minutes in a win over William Jewell on Dec. 3.

SENIOR WILSON: Senior guard Jordan Wilson (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) has been thrust into the backup point guard role with Jackson out for the season and has filled in with a nice shooting stroke. In the last three games, Wilson is shooting 8-11 (72.7 percent) from 3-point range, knocking down all four of his threes last week (two in each game). He scored eight points and dished three assists in 20 minutes against Southern Indiana.

BALL HAWKS: The Hawks had nine steals in each of their games last week, continuing a trend that is a result of their pressure defense. The Hawks lead the GLVC and rank 20th nationally in steals per game (9.31). Five Hawks rank in the top 15 in the GLVC in steals, led by Tagarelli's 23 thefts. Eneogwe, Des Jardins, McGaughey and Senor all have 21 steals each.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Scottie Bruxvoort: F; 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Nate Des Jardins: G; 6' 0"; Senior

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

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

#1 Thomas Jackson: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#42 Evan McGaughey: F; 6' 8"; Redshirt Junior

#10 Grant Meyer: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#2 Herm Senor II: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#22 Jordan Wilson: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior

#5 Joseph Tagarelli: F; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Scottie Bruxvoort
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#3 Nate Des Jardins
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

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

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

#1 Thomas Jackson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#42 Evan McGaughey
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#10 Grant Meyer
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#2 Herm Senor II
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#22 Jordan Wilson
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#5 Joseph Tagarelli
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F