QUINCY, Ill. – After a tough loss at home against the Prairie Stars of the University of Illinois Springfield last week, the Hawks looked to right the ship, hosting the Cardinals of William Jewell College for a 5:30 p.m. contest on Thursday evening (Feb. 16).  Quincy downed the Cardinals in the GLVC conference showdown 77-54 behind 24 point scoring efforts from Beth Matas Martin and Sarah Nelson.

WJC jumped on the Hawks to open the game converting two three pointers to open a 6-0 advantage. QU stormed back to take the lead at 10-8 on an eight-point scoring burst from Martin as well as a bucket from Nelson. Quincy closed out the quarter leading 16-10.

The Hawks busted the game wide open in the second quarter, scoring the first 12 points of the frame to extend their lead to 18 at 28-10. After being held scoreless for nearly four minutes, William Jewell hit a three to draw within 15 at 28-13. The hot start to the frame proved to be too much for the Cardinals as Quincy pushed their lead to a very comfortable 22 points at 41-19 heading into the locker room at halftime outscoring their opponents by 16 in the difference making quarter of the game.

Effectively on cruise control with a 20+ point advantage, it would have been easy for the Hawks to mail in the second half. Coach Kaci Bailey kept her squads foot on the peddle coming out of the halftime break. A layup from Paige Gamble at the 1:35 mark in the quarter gave Quincy a 60-26 advantage good for their largest lead of the game at 34. QU took a 30 point, 60-30 lead into the final frame.

The Cardinals went on a run of their own in the fourth, the only quarter they outscored QU, cutting the lead by 12 to draw within 18 at 66-48. Ultimately, the hot start from the Hawks was too much for WJC to overcome as Quincy rolled on to a dominant 77-54 victory in Pepsi Arena.
 
The Hawks are right in the thick of things with just three games remaining on their regular season schedule. Currently sitting at 7-10 in conference play, good enough for a tie for sixth in the standings. With the top eight teams qualifying for the conference tournament, QU faces a team below them in the standings, Southwest Baptist (6-11). A team they're tied with, Rockhurst (7-10), and Truman State (13-4) who is tied for second.

The Bulldogs of Truman State University come to town on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 18) for a 1:00 p.m. matinee GLVC contest to close out the home schedule for the Hawks in 2023.

Stat Leaders:
Beth Matas Martin: 24 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Assists
Sarah Nelson: 24 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Assists
Emma Knipe: 4 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Assists
Grace Flanagan: 7 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Assists