QU women’s basketball team gives itself chance, falls short of beating Indianapolis in GLVC opener

QUINCY — Night in and night out, the Quincy University women’s basketball team is putting itself in position to challenge for the lead at the end of regulation.

Figuring out how to win nip-and-tuck games is the next step.

Saturday, the Hawks had a chance to tie Indianapolis in the final 10 seconds of regulation but couldn’t convert on the final offensive position and opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a 60-57 loss at Pepsi Arena.

It is the fourth time in six regular-season games the outcome has been decided by three points or less or in overtime. The Hawks are 1-3 in those games and 2-4 overall.

“I’m really proud of our girls and the battle,” QU coach Kaci Bailey said. “I mean, we haven’t been in a lot of these close games until this year. I mean, we’re a program that was getting beat by double digits last year. We’ve just got to figure out how to grow and how to finish those games now.”

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Quincy’s Emma Knipe tied the game at 22 with less than 30 seconds to play in the first half, and the teams went to halftime with the game knotted.

Sarah Nelson completed a three-point play to give the Hawks a 25-24 advantage just sixty seconds into the 3rd quarter. The Greyhounds answered with an 8-0 run, but baskets by Beth Matas Martin and Cymirah Williams in the final two minutes of the third quarter trimmed the deficit to 40-38.

In a game that saw the lead change 12 times, the Hawks went up a single point with about seven minutes left in the game. After the Greyhounds retook the lead, Knipe made a jumper and got fouled, converting the three-point play for the lead. A 3-pointer by Rylee Denbow gave QU its final lead at 52-51 with 3:24 to play.

Indianapolis’ Kacilyn Krebs answered with a 3-pointer 25 seconds later and the Greyhounds never trailed again.

Nelson led the Hawks with 14 points, while Matas Martin and Knipe each had 10.