Hawks show grit, moxie in exhibition loss to Illini

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Steve Hawkins wasn’t shy about what he hoped to accomplish by traveling to State Farm Center for an exhibition game against the No. 23 University of Illinois men’s basketball team.

“A lot,” said Hawkins, embarking on his second stint as the head coach at Quincy University. “It’s going to be beneficial on so many levels.”

That went from learning how to travel to understanding game day preparation.

Maybe the biggest benefit was seeing his team is going to fight.

The Hawks led the Illini 8-6 at the first media timeout, trailed by only 10 points at halftime and suffered a better-than-expected 87-52 loss Friday night.

Quincy shot 31.4 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from 3-point range against the NCAA Division I foe, but defensively, the Hawks held the Illini to 1-of-13 shooting from 3-point range in the first half and matched them rebound for rebound the first 20 minutes.

Turnovers, to go with the meager shooting percentage, were a bugaboo. Quincy committed 25 turnovers, leading to 32 points for Illinois. The Hawks also had only six assists.

Glimpses of how the Hawks can perform offensively started to show, too. Junior guard Zion Richardson led QU with 15 points, going 5 of 10 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. Freshman guard Isaiah Foster had 13 points and went 5 of 6 at the line, but committed seven turnovers against the best guards he will face all season in his first college game.

Courtney Hawkins and RJ Melendez led the Illini with 15 points apiece.