KIRKSVILLE, MO. - The Quincy University men's basketball team got a career-high performance from Viktor Kovacevic in a dog fight with the twelfth-ranked Truman State Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 20). It took overtime to decide the game, but the Hawks' upset bid came up just short in a 96-91 defeat. 

The Hawks got off to the start they wanted in Sunday's road GLVC contest behind seniors Viktor Kovacevic and Tanner Stuckman. The duo combined for the first 15 points for QU and helped the Hawks gain an early 15-11 lead. 

The twelfth-ranked Bulldogs answered back with a 6-0 run to regain the lead, 17-15. 

Newcomers Jaylen Boyd and Silas Crisler helped Quincy get back in front after a three-pointer and a lay up by Boyd and a corner three from Crisler. The Hawks led 23-19 with ten minutes to go in the first half.

Quincy held the lead until Truman State tied the score, 29-29, at the 4:34 mark after a made basket in the paint. 

The visiting Hawks ended the half on an 11-2 run which included a buzzer-beating bank shot from way downtown by Jamaurie Coakley. 

QU headed to the locker room with a 40-31 lead after shooting 53.3% from the floor and making 5-of-10 from deep. On the defensive end, the Hawks held the Bulldogs to under 38% from the field and limited TSU to just 2-of-12 from three-point range. 

Out of the break, the Hawks gained a 50-39 lead in the first two and a half minutes behind baskets from Stuckman, Kovacevic and Callier. 

Truman roared back with an 11-2 run which cut Quincy's lead to two points, 52-50, with 15:20 left to play. 

Viktor Kovacevic stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer to make the score 55-50 QU.

At the ten-minute mark, the Bulldogs regained the advantage after a 6-0 run made the score 60-59.

The final ten minutes of the second half was a wild one as both teams traded blows down the stretch. 

With 5:32 to go, Truman State held a 72-66 lead. Both offenses went cold for the next two minutes until Kovacevic dropped in a lay up with 3:32 to play in the second half. QU trailed 72-68.

In crunch time, Charles Callier knocked down back-to-back three-pointers with under two minutes to go. The Hawks still found themselves down 78-74 with 1:11 left to play. 

Tanner Stuckman added a crucial bucket with 36 seconds left to make it a 78-76 Truman State advantage. 

The Bulldogs knocked in two free throws to boost their lead to four points. 

Quincy's Viktor Kovacevic continued to put the team on his back in the final moments of regulation. The Serbian hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to make the score 80-79 and gave the Hawks a chance. 

Two more made free throws by the Bulldogs with under ten seconds to play made the score 82-79, but Kovacevic had one more trick up his sleeve. 

With 1.7 on the clock, the senior from Belgrade banked in an off-balance three-pointer to tie the game and send it to overtime. 

Truman State opened the extra period on a 6-2 run to gain the early lead, 88-84. 

Charles Callier put in a layup to bring QU back within two points with 2:13 to play. 

The difference in overtime came with 1:48 left when Truman embarked on an 8-0 run and gained the separation needed to hold off the Hawks. 

Quincy got late buckets from Callier and Kovacevic, but the upset bid came up short as Quincy fell by a final score of 96-91 in overtime. 

Stat Leaders
Viktor Kovacevic - 34 points and 12 rebounds
Tanner Stuckman - 28 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Charles Callier - 14 points, 2 assists, steal
Jamaurie Coakley - 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals

Next Game
Quincy will have fourteen days until their next game which will be against Indianapolis at home on January 3rd.