WHITEOUT: Hawks Return to Pepsi Thursday Against Lewis

#PACKPEPSI: The Quincy University men's basketball team returns from its four-game, two-week road trip with games against a pair of the GLVC East's best in Lewis and No. 17 UW-Parkside this week. The Hawks are hoping to have large, energetic crowds in attendance for the games as they enter the week in a three-way tie atop the GLVC West standings. A pair of wins would bolster the Hawks' chances at a top-four seed in the GLVC Tournament and help build the case for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Hawks have won 11 straight at Pepsi Arena.

ROAD SPLIT: The Hawks are coming off their third straight GLVC road weekend split, falling at Indianapolis, 98-66, before knocking off Saint Joseph's in an 84-61 rout in Rensselaer, Ind. on Saturday. QU has not lost consecutive games since dropping the first three contests of the season.

UP NEXT: Quincy will hit the road again next week for their final road trip of the regular season. The Hawks will take on Rockhurst and William Jewell in repeat matchups from earlier this season. Quincy defeated Rockhurst, 77-67, in a tough battle at Pepsi Arena and took care of William Jewell, 89-60, in early December.

NINETY-PLUS DONE: The Hawks maintain the most potent offense in the GLVC, averaging 86.5 points per game. They entered last week having scored at least 90 points in each of their last seven wins, but that streak was snapped with Quincy's 84-61 win over the Pumas. The result was not for a lack of shot-making. QU shot 50 percent from the field (31-for-62) and from beyond the arc (15-for-30) in the win. The Hawks managed to get to the free throw line just 11 times in the game with all of them coming in the second half.

BALANCED EFFORTS: Even with the Hawks' rash of injuries this season, they have still managed to keep a balanced effort offensively. Six Hawks average in double figures (one is senior guard Thomas Jackson, who was injured in early January). It starts with QU's post players, juniors Joseph Tagarelli (Bayside, Wis./Waunakee/Kirkwood CC) and Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West), who combine to score 30 points per game. Tagarelli ranks eighth in the GLVC in scoring (16.8), while McGaughey is 20^th in the circuit (13.3).

MCGAUGHEY ELSEWHERE: McGaughey ranks among the league's best in other statistical categories as well. The 6-foot-8 versatile forward is third in the GLVC in rebounding (8.0) and blocked shots (1.45). He is eighth in field goal percentage (.561, 106-189). In his last 12 games, McGaughey has five double-doubles and three other performances with 10-plus points and nine rebounds. He is averaging 14.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in 30 minutes per game in that stretch.

NEARING 1,000: McGaughey is also approaching a round number in his career scoring line. The fourth-year junior has scored 922 points in his career. He is trying to become the 40^th member of the 1,000-point club in QU men's basketball history.

SENOR DISHING: Junior guard Herm Senor II (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) was thrust into the starting lineup at point guard on Jan. 9 and has not looked back. He is averaging 6.9 assists per game in the nine games since and has twice eclipsed the 20-point mark, including a 20-point, six assist performance in QU's win over the Pumas. Senor is also shooting the ball at a high rate; in the last four games, he is hitting at a 52 percent (13-for-25) clip from 3-point range. Senor has at least one 3-pointer in each of the last eight games.

THE 'D' IN O.D.: Senior wing Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Maine West/Illinois Central) has had varying offensive performances in the last few weeks, following up a career-high 32-point game against Missouri S&T with games of 11 and two points last week, respectively. But that has not prevented Eneogwe from contributing in every other aspect of the game. The senior is averaging 2.2 steals in the last five games and has collected at least seven rebounds three times in that stretch. He had seven boards and five assists in Saturday's win at SJC.

VW3: First-year junior guard Von Washington III (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central/Western Michigan) has given the Hawks a steady dose of offense in his last six games, averaging 12.5 points in that stretch. He scored seven points in each game last week. The junior is shooting 35.8 percent (38-106) from 3-point range on the year and has 11 games with at least two threes.

FEELING IT: Senior sharpshooter Nate Des Jardins (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) got his shooting touch back on track on Saturday, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range in scoring 12 points. He is shooting 43.6 percent (41-94) from 3-point distance on the year. Des Jardins is tied with Tagarelli for second on the team in steals (31), one behind Eneogwe.

HUSTLING MATTERS: The Hawks have shown all season their ability to turn defensive stops into wizardry on the offensive end. QU averages 9.7 fastbreak points per game and have nine games of at least 10 transition points. QU ranks second in the GLVC in steals (9.36), blocks (4.36) and assists (17.82). They are also third in turnover margin (2.18).

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#30 Von Washington III: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#30 Von Washington III
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: G