QUINCY, Ill. — The Quincy University women's basketball team dropped its first game of the Hansen-Spear Classic on Friday night, falling 86–68 to Missouri Southern inside Pepsi Arena. The Hawks shot the ball extremely well throughout the night, but 27 turnovers proved too costly to overcome against a Lions squad that capitalized on nearly every mistake.

Missouri Southern seized control from the opening tip, scoring the first four points and forcing Quincy into several early giveaways. The Hawks briefly settled after back-to-back buckets from Acheampomaa Danso made it 5–4, but Missouri Southern responded immediately with a three to ignite a surge. Quincy kept it within one possession at 8–6 after a strong take from Reagan Reed, yet the Lions proceeded to close the quarter on a dominant 16–4 run. Quincy's turnovers continued to pile up, allowing Missouri Southern to extend its lead to 24–10 after one.

The Lions continued to push the pace in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 31–13 behind a fast-break score and a three from Lilly Thomas. Quincy answered with a spark from Sydney Runsewe, who scored five straight points to bring the margin down to 33–19, and Olivia Lawson followed with two baskets to help stabilize the Hawks. However, MSSU caught fire from deep, burying two threes in the final minute to give Missouri Southern a commanding 46–28 advantage at the break.

Quincy began the third quarter much sharper, with Blair Eftink connecting on two threes that shaved the deficit to 49–36. Missouri Southern, however, countered every push with timely perimeter shooting, and the Hawks were unable to string together stops as the Lions maintained a 20-point cushion, leading 68–46 heading into the fourth.

Quincy played its best offensive quarter in the final frame, opening with a jumper from Hampton Williams and later receiving a burst from Katey Flynn, who knocked down a three to cut the margin to 76–55. Freshman Maddie Casey added a late fast-break bucket, and Reed continued to attack downhill, but the early deficit was too large to recover from. Missouri Southern continued hitting timely shots down the stretch and closed out the 86–68 win.

The game ultimately swung on two dramatic statistical gaps: turnovers and offensive rebounds. Quincy shot an impressive 55.8% from the field and 42.9% from three, outperforming Missouri Southern in both categories. But the Hawks committed 27 turnovers, which the Lions turned into 32 points, compared to Quincy's 18 points off MSSU mistakes.

Missouri Southern also dominated the offensive glass, earning 22 offensive rebounds and an enormous 24 second-chance points, repeatedly extending possessions that otherwise would have ended in QU stops. Even with Quincy defending efficiently in half-court sets, the extra possessions and transition opportunities allowed the Lions to keep full control of the game. Despite sharper shooting and competitive rebounding on the defensive end, the Hawks couldn't overcome the volume of additional possessions created by the Lions.

Katey Flynn led Quincy with 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line, while Reagan Reed added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Hampton Williams scored 10 and provided strong interior defense. Acheampomaa Danso was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor for nine points in limited minutes, and Blair Eftink contributed nine with three made threes. Olivia Lawson and Sydney Runsewe provided energy off the bench with timely buckets throughout the game.

The Hawks will look to bounce back quickly, returning to Pepsi Arena tomorrow at 3:00 PM for their final game of the Hansen-Spear Classic against Purdue Northwest.