JOPLIN, Mo. - Quincy men's basketball fell in a tightly contested matchup on Thursday night, dropping an 87–84 decision on the road at Missouri Southern State University. The Hawks move to 4–5 on the year despite another standout performance from Camren Kincaid, who led the offense for the fourth straight game with 21 points.

Both offenses came out firing in the opening minutes, with the Hawks starting 6-of-8 from the field and getting five early points from Tiernan Stynes to take a 13–12 advantage five minutes into the contest. Quincy later put together a strong stretch midway through the half, using a 14–6 run, sparked by seven points from the bench, to build its largest lead at 27–18 with just over nine minutes remaining.

The Hawks cooled slightly down the stretch, but their defensive effort held strong as they maintained control for most of the period and carried a 38–35 lead into the locker room. The stat line through 20 minutes was nearly even across the board, but the Hawks' early efficiency gave them the advantage.

Missouri Southern wasted no time grabbing the momentum, opening the second half on a 13–6 run while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor to go ahead 48–44. From there, the two offenses went back and forth in an extremely efficient stretch, combining to shoot 9-of-13 over a six-minute window as MSSU held a 61–56 lead at the midway point.

The rest of the half was an absolute battle. Quincy continued to respond and eventually tied the game at 71 with just under four minutes remaining, but the Hawks were unable to reclaim the lead after losing it early in the period. The Lions pushed their advantage to eight with just over a minute left, forcing Quincy into a late comeback attempt. Buckets from Kincaid and Max Booher pulled the Hawks within three with 11 seconds remaining, but time ran out on the rally as MSSU held on for the 87–84 win.

Missouri Southern's shooting proved to be the difference, finishing 55.7% from the field compared to Quincy's 46.7%. Both teams hit 7-of-20 from beyond the arc, and the Hawks held the edge at the free-throw line (21-of-24 to MSSU's 12-of-14). Rebounding was nearly even as Quincy held a slim 31–30 advantage. Statistically, the matchup was balanced across the board, but the Lions' efficiency in the second half pushed them across the finish line.

For the fourth straight outing, Camren Kincaid paced the Hawks with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding three assists and three steals. Stynes posted his first double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and matching a career-high 10 rebounds. Booher matched Stynes with 16 points, and freshman Owen Duff provided a season-high 12 points in just 14 minutes off the bench.

Quincy returns home next week for the final two games of the calendar year, hosting the Hansen-Spear Classic inside Pepsi Arena. The Hawks will face Hillsdale College on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 5:00 PM, followed by Roosevelt University on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 1:00 PM.