QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University men's basketball team snapped its six-game skid Thursday night with a decisive 77-58 victory over Lincoln University (Mo.) inside Pepsi Arena, completing the season sweep of the Blue Tigers. The Hawks caught fire from beyond the arc, shooting 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three-point range, and placed four players in double figures.
Tiernan Stynes,
Ethan Bolton,
Jakeb Wallingford, and
Ethyn Brown led a balanced offensive attack that powered Quincy to the home victory.
Quincy wasted no time setting the tone, opening the contest on an 8-0 run. Stynes ignited the burst with a three-pointer, while
Owen Duff converted three free throws during the stretch. A second triple from Stynes, jumpers from
Camren Kincaid, and a three-pointer by Bolton pushed the Hawks ahead 21-6 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
Lincoln trimmed the deficit to 26-16 with 8:40 to play, but Brown sparked the Hawks with a steal, and Wallingford followed with five quick points to halt the momentum. Back-to-back three-pointers from Stynes and Brown restored a double-digit cushion, and Quincy carried a 45-32 lead into halftime.
The second half slowed offensively, but the Hawks maintained control. Quincy extended the margin to 56-40 with 11 minutes remaining before a brief scoring drought allowed Lincoln to close within 57-47. Wallingford answered, and a floating jumper from Stynes pushed the lead back to 12 at 67-55 with four minutes to play.
A late layup from
Preston Brewer stretched the advantage, and
Lorenzo McMillion energized the bench with a three-pointer in the final minute to seal the 77-58 victory.
Quincy shot 44.8 percent from the field and held Lincoln to 35.9 percent shooting and just 7-of-30 from three-point range. The Hawks owned a 39-36 edge on the glass and matched their season low with only nine turnovers.
Stynes led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Bolton added 17 points and seven rebounds, Wallingford posted 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Brown contributed 10 points off the bench.
The Hawks return to Pepsi Arena on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) to host the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM following the women's game. The Tritons won the first meeting this season, 93-60. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day, with Kincaid and Brown being honored.
