Hawks struggle in fourth quarter, fall to Miners for third straight GLVC loss

QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team needs to work on its closing kick, too.

The Hawks trailed Missouri S&T by one point heading to the fourth quarter Monday in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Pepsi Arena, but the Miners scored the first 10 points of the final stanza and led 58-47 with seven minutes to play.

Quincy ended the run with Beth Matas Martin’s 3-pointer, but Missouri S&T held a 25-12 scoring advantage the final 10 minutes and headed home with a 73-59 victory.

The Hawks (5-11, 1-7 GLVC) have lost three straight games, but in two of the three they were either tied or had the lead at the end of the first quarter. The second half has been their undoing.

Against Missouri S&T, Quincy shot just 21 percent from the field in the fourth quarter and didn’t get to the free-throw line in the second half. The Miners (6-8, 3-5 GLVC) held a 40-24 edge in points in the paint and a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Matas Martin led the Hawks with 15 points, seven assists and two steals, while Maddie Spagnola had 14 points and four steals and Sarah Nelson had 11 points and five rebounds.