QUINCY, Ill. – The Hawks rattled off their third consecutive win Thursday night, fending off a late surge to defeat the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats, 68-65, inside Pepsi Arena.

Quincy University wasted little time setting the tone, jumping out to a 10-3 lead in the opening two minutes as the offense caught fire. Blair Eftink and Katey Flynn each connected from beyond the arc during the early run. Southwest Baptist answered with an 8-0 spurt to briefly claim its first lead, but the Hawks regained control late in the quarter with a 7-0 run. Sydney Runsewe capped the stretch with Quincy's fifth three of the period, helping the Hawks carry a 23-17 advantage after one. Quincy shot a blistering 60 percent and went 5-for-6 from deep in the frame.

The Hawks continued to lean on their perimeter shooting in the second quarter. Eftink knocked down two more triples to maintain separation, pushing the lead to eight midway through the period. While both offenses cooled down, Quincy's defense limited the Bearcats to 33.3 percent shooting, allowing the Hawks to take a 37-30 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Quincy built its largest lead of the night. A 10-2 run, highlighted again by Eftink from long range, stretched the margin to 15 points at 47-32. Turnovers briefly slowed the Hawks' momentum late in the quarter, as Quincy committed nine giveaways, but Southwest Baptist struggled to convert, shooting just 3-of-17 in the period. Quincy still held a comfortable 53-41 edge entering the fourth.

The Bearcats refused to go away. Quincy maintained a double-digit cushion for much of the final quarter and led 63-50 before SBU mounted a 9-2 run to tighten the game inside the final minute. A foul on a three-pointer kept the pressure on, but Acheampomaa Danso calmly stepped to the line and delivered clutch free throws to seal the outcome. A three at the buzzer trimmed the margin to one possession, but the Hawks secured the 68-65 victory.

Quincy finished the night shooting 47.2 percent from the field compared to 35.1 percent for Southwest Baptist. Both teams knocked down nine three-pointers and shot over 80 percent at the line. The Hawks controlled the glass with a 37-27 rebounding advantage and turned Bearcat miscues into 19 points, while limiting SBU to just nine points off turnovers.

Flynn paced Quincy with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including three triples. Eftink added 15 points behind a season-high five threes, marking her third double-figure effort in the last four games. Hayvem Harden provided an efficient 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and made her presence felt defensively with a block and two steals.

The Hawks will look to keep the momentum rolling in their next test against the Drury University Panthers, who won the first meeting between the teams earlier this season and enter with a strong 11-2 conference mark