QUINCY, Ill. – The Hawks are back in the win column after an old-fashioned, grind-it-out basketball game, edging Hillsdale College 63–61 on Tuesday night inside Pepsi Arena. Despite a slow start and connecting on just one three-pointer all game, Quincy executed down the stretch and at the free-throw line to secure the hard-earned victory.
Offense was difficult to come by early for both sides, as the teams were locked in a defensive battle through the opening four minutes, tied 2–2 at the first media timeout while combining to shoot just 2-for-11 from the field.
Hillsdale found a rhythm over the next five minutes, going on an 11–7 run on 4-of-7 shooting to take a 13–9 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Chargers continued to build momentum, knocking down a pair of triples during a 10–6 stretch to claim their largest lead of the half at 23–15 with six minutes to play in the first half.
The final six minutes saw the teams trade baskets, but Quincy was unable to significantly chip into the deficit. The Hawks went into halftime trailing 33–23 after their lowest-scoring half of the season, shooting 9-of-26 from the field and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Quincy came out of the locker room with renewed energy. Over the first four-and-a-half minutes, the Hawks pieced together one of their best offensive stretches of the night, going on a 14–7 run on 6-of-10 shooting to cut the deficit to three at 40–37.
Hillsdale responded despite playing without its two starting guards due to foul trouble. The Chargers buckled down defensively and rattled off an 11–3 run to push the lead back to 51–40 with seven minutes remaining. Quincy struggled to find the basket during that stretch, going 0-for-6 from the field and 3-for-6 at the free-throw line.
With their backs against the wall, the Hawks answered in a big way. Quincy dominated the next four minutes with a decisive 17–2 run, sparked by six points from
Camren Kincaid and
Max Booher's first triple of the game. Just like that, the momentum swung, and Quincy headed into the final media timeout leading 57–53 with 2:48 to play.
Hillsdale had a chance to regain the lead late after forcing a steal and getting to the free-throw line with 1:13 remaining, but two missed free throws proved costly. The Chargers were forced to foul down the stretch, and Quincy capitalized, going 5-of-6 at the line to ice the 63–61 victory.
Scoring was at a premium for both teams in the Hawks' lowest offensive output of the season. Quincy shot 41.7 percent from the field compared to Hillsdale's 39.7 percent. Despite the Hawks going just 1-for-11 from three-point range, the Chargers were also inefficient from deep, shooting 4-of-22.
The difference came at the free-throw line, where Quincy knocked down 22 free throws to Hillsdale's 11. The Hawks held a narrow 37–34 edge on the glass, while turnovers were nearly even, with Hillsdale committing 10 to Quincy's 11.
Camren Kincaid led the Hawks in scoring for the fifth consecutive game, pouring in 22 points to go along with eight rebounds. He scored more than half of his points at the line, finishing 12-of-14, while also shooting an efficient 5-of-9 from the field.
Jakeb Wallingford provided a key spark, flirting with a double-double with 12 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting.
Ethan Bolton rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points, marking the fifth time this season Quincy has had three players reach double figures.
The Hawks will face a quick turnaround as they look to close out the calendar year on a high note. Quincy will be back in action Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 PM for the final game of the Hansen-Spear Classic, hosting Roosevelt University, which fell to McKendree in its opening game.
