BOLIVAR, Mo. - The Hawks put up a strong fight but ultimately fell short against Southwest Baptist on Thursday evening (Jan. 30), dropping an 80-73 contest on the road at the Meyer Sports Center. 

A slow first half put Quincy in a deep hole, and despite a much-improved second-half performance, the Hawks couldn't quite complete the comeback. 

Quincy struggled early, shooting 36.7% from the field in the first half and only managing two three-pointers.

Meanwhile, Southwest Baptist capitalized on its opportunities, shooting over 55% in the opening period and building a commanding 43-28 lead by the break. The Bearcats controlled the paint, out-rebounding the Hawks and converting second-chance points into a sizable advantage after the first 20 minutes. 

The second half was a different story, as QU showed more urgency and efficiency on the offensive side of the ball, improving its shooting to 51.6% from the field while hitting nine times from deep, allowing Quincy to chip away at the deficit. 

Late in the game, the Hawks closed the gap, cutting the Bearcats' lead to just four points at 77-73 on an Ethyn Brown layup with 22 seconds remaining. However, Quincy couldn't come up with any more big plays in the closing moments as a Bearcats' free throw and layup closed out the contest. 

Brown delivered the best performance of his career, setting career highs with 20 points, eight field goals made, and four three-pointers. Max Booher added 16 points along with a trio of three-pointers, while Jake Hamilton dominated the glass with a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with 10 points, securing a hard-earned double-double for the Hawks sophomore. 

GA Jack's Fun Fact

With the 16-point scoring effort, Max Booher surpassed the 200 career points mark just 16 games into his freshman campaign, averaging 12.8 points per contest. 

Next Up 

Quincy is on the road again for its next game, traveling to Rockhurst for a 2:00 PM contest against the Hawks on Saturday (Feb. 1) in Kansas City, MO.