KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Quincy University women's basketball team opened the 2025–26 season with a strong all-around performance, earning a 71–57 victory over Cedarville inside Pershing Arena to give head coach Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger her first career win as a Hawk. QU controlled large stretches of the game and built a commanding lead after three quarters, shooting 56.5% from the field and over 40% from three, but Cedarville made things interesting with a furious fourth-quarter run that briefly cut the margin to single digits before Quincy steadied the ship late.

Quincy struck first behind a Katey Flynn three, but the opening minutes featured trading turnovers and empty possessions as both teams settled in. Cedarville grabbed momentum with a pair of threes to take a 10–5 lead, forcing the Hawks to regroup. Quincy responded with defensive pressure and timely scoring, as freshman Maddie Casey buried a transition three, followed by a pair of free throws from Karly Peters, pushing QU ahead 11–10. A late Cedarville push, capped by two threes, put the Yellow Jackets ahead 16–13 after one, despite QU shooting 55.6% in the quarter.

The Hawks completely flipped the game in the second quarter, erupting for 24 points on 83.3% shooting. Early layups from Hampton Williams and Flynn tied the game before Sydney Runsewe drilled a three to give Quincy a 21–20 lead. From there, QU took off. A 10–0 surge, highlighted by Williams dominating inside, Peters finishing in transition, and Flynn converting in the paint, opened the game up. QU finished the quarter on a 14–8 push, taking a 37–28 halftime lead, fueled by relentless rim pressure and 10-of-12 shooting from the floor. The defense held Cedarville to just 33% in the frame as Quincy seized full control heading into the break.

The third quarter belonged entirely to the Hawks, who came out firing and pushed the lead as high as 27 points. Flynn opened the half with a jumper, and Danso went to work inside, scoring on multiple post touches as QU hit 10 of 18 shots. Blair Eftink drilled a three, Williams hit a jumper, and Danso added a put-back and a tip-in to fuel a dominant 24–6 run that put Quincy ahead 61–34 with under a minute left. QU outscored Cedarville 27–9 in the quarter and looked to be firmly in cruise control entering the final frame.

However, Cedarville did not go away quietly. The Yellow Jackets opened the fourth on a 20–7 run, turning defensive stops into quick points as Emma Kay Martin took over with multiple buckets—including a three at 8:37, a jumper at 7:32, and a series of attacks at the rim that cut the lead to 64–51 with 4:25 remaining. Another burst, capped by a fast-break layup, pulled Cedarville within 11 (64–53) at the 2:34 mark, creating real pressure after QU had once led by nearly 30. The Hawks, however, steadied themselves with clutch free throws from Danso and Williams, followed by a Flynn layup in traffic to push the margin back to 13. Flynn sealed the win at the line with nine seconds left, securing the 71–57 victory and preventing the late scare from escalating further.

Quincy was excellent offensively, shooting 56.5% from the field, 42.9% from three, and getting to the line 10 more times, making nine more free throws than Cedarville. The Hawks dominated the glass 37–30 and scored 30 points in the paint, while the defense held Cedarville to 34.4% shooting and just nine third-quarter points. QU also forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 13 points.

Individually, Acheampomaa Danso surpassed 500 career rebounds, adding 12 points on an efficient 5–8 shooting with six boards. Katey Flynn led all scorers with 17 points on a stellar 6–7 shooting night, surpassing 200 career field goals in her QU debut. Williams added 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Reagen Reed and Karly Peters wreaked havoc defensively, each collecting three steals. Freshmen Casey and Peters each scored their first collegiate buckets in the win.

The Hawks return to Pershing Arena tomorrow at 5:15 PM for game two of the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover, taking on Ursuline College, who dropped their opener 86–63 to Truman State earlier today.