FINDLAY, Ohio - The Quincy University men's basketball team opened the 2019-20 campaign with a triple overtime victory over Cedarville in the GLVC/G-MAC Crossover on Friday afternoon (Nov. 8). The Hawks showed grit and determination, defeating the Yellow Jackets 112-104 in fifty-five minutes.
Tanner Stuckman led the way for QU with a double-double, dropping in 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Austin Downing also filled the stat sheet, adding 27 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.
How It Happened
QU had to play from behind to start the season opener. Cedarville hit three shots from behind the arc in the first ten minutes to take a 20-10 lead. That was the largest lead for either team, as the rest of the game saw 23 lead changes and 11 ties.
The Hawks went on a 7-0 run midway through the first half to cut the lead to three.
Tanner Stuckman knocked down a three and
Jonah Smith followed with a step-back jumper. One minute later,
Austin Downing found
Aziz Fadika in the paint for a layup to make the score 20-17.
Quincy took their first lead of the game with 43 seconds remaining in the half.
Ryan Briscoe hit a jumper in the lane to put the Hawks up 29-28. Cedarville came right back and hit a layup of their own to retake the lead. It looked like QU was going into the break down one, but Briscoe raced down the floor and converted an off-balance layup to give the Hawks a 31-30 lead heading into the locker room.
Tanner Stuckman scored five quick points in the second half, as QU stretched their lead to eight at 43-35. The Yellow Jackets fought back, going on a 13-4 run to take their first lead of the half, 48-47.
From there, both teams traded baskets the rest of the way.
Austin Downing gave the Hawks their final lead in regulation with 26 seconds remaining. The redshirt junior flew past the Cedarville defense en route to a fast break layup, putting QU up 68-67.
Quincy held a three-point lead with seven seconds left, but a last-second prayer forced overtime. Cedarville's Jacob Drees nailed a three from the wing as the buzzer sounded to tie the game at 71-71.
The Yellow Jackets took that momentum into the first overtime period, scoring the first four points.
Tanner Stuckman responded by draining a three to pull QU within one. After the Hawks took the lead on an
Austin Downing jumper, Stuckman dropped in another three-pointer to extend Quincy's lead to 85-80. Cedarville came back and scored five points in the final minute to force a second overtime.
The Yellow Jackets carried momentum once again, hitting a three to start the second overtime. Quincy never led in the five-minute period, but ended it with back-to-back clutch plays. The Hawks trailed 95-92 with 25 seconds left, but
Austin Downing answered the call. The guard from Atchison, Kansas went the length of the floor, made a layup, and got fouled. Downing converted the three-point play to tie the game.
The Hawks stood firm, earning a defensive stop in the final seconds to force another overtime.
Quincy went into the third overtime with three players already fouled out. The low numbers did not deter the Hawks, as QU dominated.
Aziz Fadika started things off by finishing a layup with contact. Fadika hit the free throw to put the Hawks up 98-95.
That lead was never in doubt.
Trent Champagne scored seven points in the final five minutes, and
Austin Downing knocked down two free throws with 13 seconds left to insure the 112-104 victory.
Stat Leaders
Tanner Stuckman - 28 points, 11 rebounds
Austin Downing - 27 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds
Ryan Briscoe - 19 points, 6 rebounds
QU's Record
1-0
Up Next
The Hawks will look to ride the wave of momentum into tomorrow (Nov. 9) as they take on #17-ranked Findlay. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (ET).
