QUINCY, Ill. - Quincy opened GLVC play Monday night with a hard-fought overtime loss to Upper Iowa, falling 96–92 inside Pepsi Arena. The Hawks led for over 28 minutes of game action and built a second-half lead as large as 16, but the Peacocks closed strong late and escaped with the conference win.
Upper Iowa struck first with a quick 5–0 spurt in the opening minute behind a three and a breakaway bucket, but Quincy wasted little time answering.
Max Booher buried consecutive triples,
Camren Kincaid followed with a deep three of his own, and
Ethan Bolton added a three-point play as the Hawks' offense caught fire. A third triple from Booher and a three from
Tiernan Stynes pushed Quincy in front 27–17 just eight and a half minutes in. The Hawks held the advantage for most of the half, but Upper Iowa rallied late. A three at the 4:10 mark handed the Peacocks a 36–34 lead and ignited a 15–7 run to end the period, sending UIU into the locker room up 48–41. Both teams shot the ball well from deep, but the difference early came at the turnover line, where the Peacocks converted Quincy miscues into points.
Upper Iowa opened the second half with the first four points to stretch its edge to 11, but Quincy responded with an immediate 8–0 run as Booher connected on a pair of mid-range jumpers. The Hawks reclaimed the lead on free throws from Booher and then seized control with a dominant 16–4 burst sparked by eight points from Kincaid and a huge lift off the bench from
Herb Martin, including a three-point play. With just under 10 minutes to go, Quincy owned a 71–58 advantage.
The Peacocks would not go quietly. Led by reigning GLVC Player of the Week Kyle Hrncir, Upper Iowa stormed back with a 12–2 run to cut the lead to three. The game tightened further when Hrncir tied it at 78–78 with a three-point play in the final two minutes. After trading stops, Hrncir scored again inside to give UIU its first lead since early in the half. Booher answered with two free throws to even things at 80, and a Hawk steal set up a chance to win it at the buzzer. Kincaid's elbow jumper and two point-blank attempts from
Jakeb Wallingford would not fall, and after an extended review waved off a late foul, the game headed to overtime.
The extra period was back-and-forth from the start, but a corner three keyed an 8–2 Peacocks run to make it 90–88 with 1:20 left. Following a Quincy turnover, Upper Iowa pushed the margin to two possessions, but Kincaid responded at the line and again on a drive to keep the Hawks within striking distance. After forcing UIU into free throws in the final seconds, Quincy had a final look from three, but Stynes' right-wing attempt missed off back iron, and the Peacocks closed it out at the stripe to secure the 96–92 decision.
Statistically, Quincy was efficient offensively, shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three, but the possession battle proved decisive. Upper Iowa attempted 79 shots to Quincy's 56, fueled by a 17–10 edge in offensive rebounds and 22 Hawk turnovers that turned into 33 points for the Peacocks. UIU also finished with a 19–6 advantage in second-chance points.
Hrncir led all scorers with 31 points and 10 rebounds for Upper Iowa. Kincaid paced the Hawks with a career-high 29 points on a remarkable 9-of-12 shooting night while adding four assists. Booher matched his career high with 23 points, and Bolton (16) and Stynes (11) also reached double figures for Quincy.
The Hawks will look to rebound on Thursday as they host No. 6 Missouri S&T in Pepsi Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM, following the women's game.
