Hawks, Bulldogs Meet on Senior Night, Finale

Quincy University Hawks (18-8, 12-5 GLVC) vs. Truman State University Bulldogs (19-8, 11-6 GLVC)
Feb. 25, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.
Pepsi Arena – Quincy, IL

THE FINAL ONE: The Quincy University men's basketball team welcomes Truman State to Pepsi Arena on Thursday night for the final game of the regular season. Plenty rides on the game as QU trails Drury by one game in the GLVC West standings. The Panthers own the tiebreaker with the Hawks, so QU needs a win and a DU loss to Missouri S&T on Thursday to secure a GLVC West championship and the accompanying No. 2 seed in the GLVC Tournament. Any other scenario has the Hawks playing a first-round game at Pepsi Arena on Sunday at 3:15 p.m.

VS. THE BULLDOGS: Truman has owned the recent history between the two schools, having won the last seven matchups. The last win for Quincy in the series came Nov. 20, 2012, 62-60, at Pepsi Arena. QU dropped a GLVC Tournament first round game in Kirksville, Mo. last season. The Hawks lost to the Bulldogs earlier this season, 91-76, on Dec. 15.

LAST TIME OUT: The Hawks, winners of four of their last five games, are coming off a pair of road victories at Rockhurst (79-74) and William Jewell (89-80). Quincy shot at least 45 percent in both games and committed just 13 turnovers combined in the two games. QU had a season-low five turnovers in the win over Rockhurst.

UP NEXT: The Hawks will learn their GLVC Tournament fate on Thursday night. The Hawks could be waiting until next Friday (March 4) to play in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinal as the No. 2 seed, or they will host a GLVC Tournament first round game on Sunday (Feb. 28) at 3:15 p.m.

GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Hawks have qualified for their 12^th GLVC Tournament in 13 seasons under head coach Marty Bell. Quincy has not reached the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament since 2010 when Bellarmine topped the Hawks, 76-60. The Hawks have reached the championship game just once, in 2006, when they lost to Saint Joseph's, 68-67.

35 & 1,000: Junior forward Evan McGaughey (Carthage, Ill./Illini West) posted career game and reached a career milestone in the Hawks' win over the Cardinals on Saturday. The 6-foot-8 McGaughey scored a career-high 35 points, shooting 11-for-14 from the floor and 12-for-15 from the free throw line. Those figures gave him exactly 1,000 points for his career as he became the 40^th player in QU history to reach that number. McGaughey beat the Cardinals in a variety of ways, scoring on a couple dunks, knocking down hook shots, jumpers and a 3-pointer. He has now scored in double figures in each of his last 16 games, posting six double-doubles in that stretch. He also has six games in that run with exactly nine rebounds.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING: The Hawks have spent much of the second half of the season leading the GLVC in scoring. They currently average 87 points per game, which also sits 18^th nationally. QU also ranks third in the league in scoring margin (+8.4) behind only Bellarmine and UW-Parkside. Junior forward Joseph Tagarelli (Bayside, Wis./Waunakee/Kirkwood CC) is the Hawks' leading scorer at 16.4 points per game. He leads six Hawks averaging double figures on the season. McGaughey sits at 14.3 points per game. Junior guard Herm Senor II (Springfield, Ill./Southeast), junior guard Von Washington III (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central/Western Michigan) and senior wing Godson Eneogwe (Chicago, Ill./Maine West/Illinois Central) are the other rotation players in double figures.

HUSTLING FIGURES: The Hawks also rank at or near the top of the GLVC in several other important performance categories. Quincy ranks 11^th in the country and leads the conference in steals per game (9.08). Additionally, the Hawks are second in the conference in blocks per game (4.27) and in assists per game (17.38). QU is third in the GLVC in turnover margin (+2.50) and assist-turnover ratio (1.34).

RAIN DOWN: The Hawks rank second, behind Truman, in 3-pointers made per game (9.42) in the GLVC, despite having no players ranked in the top 15 in the league individually in that category. Seven players have at least 16 3-pointers, led by senior guard Nate Des Jardins (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods), who has 48 on the season. Washington has 45 and Senor has 43.

#COOPSTRONG: Quincy University freshman football player Cooper Harrison was named a candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Student of the Year. Harrison has a goal of raising $20,000 for the organization for the next 10 weeks – from today through May 5. The QU athletic department is helping Cooper get his campaign started at Thursday's basketball game. A portion of the gate receipts will go directly toward his campaign, as will all proceeds from the Hawks' Chuck-A-Duck promotion on during halftime of the men's game. To make an online donation, or for more information about Cooper's campaign, visit his LLS campaign website.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#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