Blistering beginning puts Hawks in command as they climb back to .500 mark in GLVC

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – There are fast starts, and then there is what the Quincy University men’s basketball team did Thursday night.

The Hawks blitzed Drury by sinking their first nine shots, six of them from 3-point range, to take a 27-13 lead just six minutes into the contest. They held on for an 83-78 victory at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.

QU, statistically the worst shooting team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, still managed to make only 43 percent of its shots despite the torrid start. However, the Hawks sank a season-high 13 treys in 22 attempts. Guards Zion Richardson (25 points) and Isaiah Foster (24) were a combined 10-of-13 from behind the arc.

The Hawks led by as many as 18 points in the second half and were up 11 with 52 seconds to play before misfiring on six of their last seven free throw tries to make the final score closer than it should have been.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak and moved QU to 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the GLVC. Drury lost for the third straight time to fall to 10-8 overall and 3-7 in league play. It was only the second loss in 10 home games this season for the Panthers.

“We came into the gym (Wednesday) night and shot, and we shot again (Thursday) in our normal walk-through,” QU coach Steve Hawkins said. “Walking back into the gym for a third time, I think our guys got completely comfortable with the shooting background, surroundings, all of that. Something like that can help your confidence.

“It was fun to actually score with somebody. We have been a streaky shooting team. That puts so much pressure on our defense. Our defense has to be perfect.”

Three-pointers by Richardson, Foster and John Kelly III in the opening 84 seconds propelled the Hawks to a 9-0 lead. Richarson added two more 3-pointers and Foster a 3-pointer and a layup off a turnover to help the Hawks build the early 14-point cushion.

The teams combined to make 16 of the first 20 shots attempted.

Drury, which shot 47 percent from the field in the first half, used an 8-0 run to close within 35-31 with 4:06 remaining. But a 3-pointer by Jake Hamilton and a step-back three by Foster in the closing minutes enabled QU to increase the advantage to 47-35 at the half.

Foster had 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.

“I’m not going to say that was the turning point, but we had a dogfight going on and we knocked down some shots during that stretch,” said Hawkins, whose team shot 51.5% from the field and made 9 of 15 3-point tries in the first half.

“Isaiah had been slumping, but we knew that wasn’t going to continue.”

The Hawks used an 11-0 run midway through the second half, the last points coming on an Orlando Thomas tip-in, to take their biggest lead at 66-48 with 11:32 left. They were ahead 75-63 with 5:36 to go after Richardson sank a 3-pointer and a free throw after a technical foul on Drury coach Chris Foster.

However, turnovers, poor execution offensively, a couple of defensive lapses and missed free throws enabled the Panthers to remain close.

“I thought our offense bogged down in the second half,” Hawkins said. “We weren’t moving the ball as well. Too much one-on-one stuff. It wasn’t out of selfishness. The guys had been seeing the ball go through the net, and they were wanting to do more when we didn’t have to.

“We have to learn how to play with the lead. The game was never in jeopardy, but in the last three minutes, we did everything you can do bad.”

Hamilton came off the bench to score 10 points for QU, and 6-foot-7 forward Todd Bieg, inserted into the starting lineup, finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Hawks finished with a 45-37 rebounding edge in beating the Panthers for the fifth straight time.

“Todd was an unsung hero,” Hawkins said. “He’s one of our best communicators. He sees everything so well. He’s happy to set screens and rebound the ball, but he added offense to it.”

Guard Logan Applegate led five Drury players in double figures with 22 points. Guard Quenton Shelton added 17 for the Panthers, who were 7-of-30 from 3-point range.

QU, now 2-4 in road games, travels to Southwest Baptist Saturday afternoon. The Hawks won the first meeting 66-50 on Jan. 6 in Pepsi Arena. They return home next Thursday to face Rockhurst.