Hawks continue piling up victories, use blistering start to knock off Bearcats

BOLIVAR, Mo. — As the win streak has grown, so has the Quincy University women’s basketball team’s rise in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings.

Now, the Hawks find themselves in territory they haven’t seen in nearly a decade.

Thursday night’s 66-54 victory over Southwest Baptist at the Meyer Sports Complex moved the Hawks into third place in the league, one game behind both Drury and Lewis in the loss column. It was QU’s ninth consecutive victory, the longest win streak since the 2015-16 team won nine in a row twice during its 25-6 season.

The school record for consecutive victories is 18, set during the 2010-11 season.

The Hawks’ latest victory got off to a sizzling start.

Quincy (15-5, 9-2 GLVC) outscored Southwest Baptist 22-9 in the first quarter, knocking down 3 of 6 3-pointers. Defensively, the Hawks were dominant as they limited the Bearcats to 26.2 percent shooting from the field and 9.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.

QU also had a 55-29 advantage on the boards. The Hawks’ bugaboo was 24 turnovers, which led to 19 points for the Bearcats.

Mariann Blass led the Hawks with 17 points and six rebounds, while Nicole McDermott had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Cymirah Williams grabbed 13 rebounds.