Hot start to fourth quarter from perimeter carries QU women to GLVC road victory

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Perhaps this will prove to be a signature victory.

The Quincy University women’s basketball team used back-to-back 3-pointers by Mikayla Huffine and another by Mariann Blass on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon to break open a tight game and hold on for a 69-66 road victory over the University of Illinois-Springfield.

The Hawks used a 12-2 run to begin the final quarter to take a 61-49 lead and were comfortably ahead 66-53 with 4:24 remaining against a team that began the day riding a four-game winning streak and tied with Drury for third place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Putting the game away proved to be difficult, however. Turnovers, hurried shots and missed free throws down the stretch — QU misfired on 7 of 10 foul shots, including its final five — gave the Prairie Stars a chance to tie it.

But Kayla Rice’s 3-point try from the left corner in the closing seconds was partially blocked, and the Hawks forced a 5-second violation after UIS was awarded the ball out of bounds under its own basket with 0.5 seconds left.

QU, which entered the game having lost four of its last five, improved to 6-11 overall and 5-6 in the GLVC. Playing without leading scorer Jessenia Lawson (16.9 ppg) and third-leading scorer Michaela Gibbons (10.1 ppg), the Prairie Stars fell to 9-8 and 7-4 in the GLVC.

The Hawks led by as many as nine points in the second quarter but managed just two points over the final 3:25 to see their advantage whittled to 30-24 at halftime. The Prairie Stars scored the first seven points of the third period to move in front 31-30 for what proved to be their last lead.

QU went up 47-40 only to see UIS close within 49-47 at the end of the quarter. Huffine, a sophomore from Rockford Lutheran who was shooting only 18% from 3-point range, buried jumpers from the left corner and left wing to make it 55-49. Blass hit another 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 58-49 with 8:05 left.

A rebound bucket by Cymirah Williams put the Hawks in front 65-53, and her free throw with 4:24 to go made it 66-53. Williams finished with a team-high 17 points and 15 rebounds.

A 3-pointer by Saharra Murphy capped a 9-0 run that pulled UIS within 68-65 with 1:19 to go. The Prairie Stars scored 19 points off 23 QU turnovers but were plagued by shooting woes. They shot just 31.6% from the field, including an 8-for-32 showing from 3-point range, and missed 11 of 21 free throws.

QU, meanwhile, shot 46.3 percent from the field, made 5 of 10 3-point tries and scored 32 points in the paint. The Hawks made 11 of their first 14 free throw attempts before their late struggles. Acheampomaa Danso finished with 14 points and Blass 10.

Forward Shariah Gailes finished with 20 points and Rice 16 for UIS.

QU, which improved to 4-1 in road games, plays at Drury on Thursday and at Southwest Baptist next Saturday. The Hawks earlier lost home games to Drury (81-56) on Nov. 27 and to SBU (68-65) on Jan. 6