Playing from behind too much for QU women to overcome in loss to Upper Iowa

QUINCY — Upper Iowa’s opening salvo was too much for the Quincy University women’s basketball team to overcome.

The Peacocks needed just four possessions in the initial two minutes to bolt to an 11-0 lead and that cushion proved to be enough to withstand a second-half charge by the Hawks to secure a 69-62 victory Saturday afternoon in Pepsi Arena.

The most prolific 3-point shooting team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Upper Iowa sank three long-range shots to start the contest and six in the first quarter alone to build a 24-9 lead in just eight and a half minutes.

The flurry was enough to momentarily blunt any momentum the hosts had hoped to carry over from Thursday night’s victory over Truman State.

“We didn’t come out with the energy we needed,” QU coach Courtney Boyd said. “We gave up too many uncontested shots. We dug such a hole that we couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Hawks made it interesting, though.

Trailing 38-24 with a little less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Cymirah Williams scored six of her game-high 22 points as part of a closing 10-2 run that pulled QU within 40-34 at halftime.

With their man-to-man defense forcing 10 turnovers and limiting Upper Iowa to just two field goals, the Hawks had opportunities to erase that deficit in the third period.

However, they could not get shots to fall on the offensive end to capitalize. They made only 5 of 23 field goal tries in the quarter, which ended with the Peacocks clinging to a 50-45 lead.

“We were making stops and getting some easy looks,” Boyd said. “Turning their turnovers into baskets is the easiest way to score, but our layups weren’t falling. We even missed a wide-open transition layup. 

“It’s hard enough for a team scoring twos against a team scoring threes, but it makes it even harder when you’re not scoring twos.”

A step-back jumper by freshman guard Mariann Blass, who finished with 16 points, and a putback by Williams of her own miss pulled the Hawks within 50-49 at the start of the fourth quarter.

But after Cassidy Pagel and Karsyn Stratton traded baskets to maintain a one-point game, Katie Tornstrom buried consecutive 3-pointers for Upper Iowa to open a 58-51 lead.

Those were the first successful 3-pointers by the Peacocks, who entering the game with a GLVC-leading 106 treys while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc, since early in the second quarter. After making six of their first nine, they were 3 of 12 the rest of the way.

“We gave up a couple of easy looks,” Boyd said. “The timing was unfortunate. Cutting it to one put us in a good spot.”

A 3-pointer from the left wing by Taya Stevenson with 6:48 left got QU within four, but it would get no closer. Two free throws each by Pagel and Mia Huberty sandwiching a turnaround jumper from the right block by Tornstrom extended Upper Iowa’s lead to 64-54 with under five minutes left.

“We got close,” Boyd said. “They had more offensive weapons than we did.”

Huberty led Upper Iowa, which snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the GLVC, with 18 points. Tornstrom had 16 points, Pagel 12 and Brooke Evenson 11 for the Peacocks, who made 16 of 17 foul shots.

Williams and Blass were the only players in double figures for QU (5-11, 4-5 GLVC). The Hawks, who shot 34 percent from the field and have lost eight of 10 home games this season, travel to Illinois-Springfield this Saturday.

“Our goal was to hold them under 70 points and make enough layups,” Boyd said. “We kind of ran out of gas.”