Hawks buckle down on final possession, refuse to allow Tigers open look at trey

December 16, 2021 | By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor

From left to right, Quincy University's Sarah Nelson, Maddie Spagnola and Beth Matas Martin celebrate after Nelson was fouled while scoring in the post against Iowa Wesleyan on Wednesday night. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — One stop equaled one much-needed victory.

The Quincy University women’s basketball team proved up to the task.

Leading Iowa Wesleyan by three points with 13.3 seconds remaining in regulation Wednesday night at Pepsi Arena, the Hawks did not allow the Tigers an open look from the perimeter. Instead, Iowa Wesleyan was forced to attempt a shot in the lane, which was missed, and Grace Flanagan cleared the defensive rebound to preserve a 56-53 victory.

The Hawks (3-6) have won back-to-back non-conference games, sandwiching them around an exhibition loss at Southern Illinois, and could finish the pre-Christmas schedule with momentum if they upend Purdue Northwest next Monday.

“We can use this to learn and grow,” QU coach Kaci Bailey said. “It’s easier to learn and grow off a win.”

The Hawks have to learn how to apply the finishing touch.

Their previous two victories were 30-point blowouts, and the only other time they’ve been close in the fourth quarter — a 59-57 loss to Wisconsin-Parkside — they trailed in the final two minutes.

“We haven’t been in that heat-of-the-moment stretch,” Bailey said. “We were trying to manage possessions and control the clock, and we haven’t had to do that. I thought we did a decent job for the most part.”

Quincy (3-6) stood resolute on the final possession. They ran two Iowa Wesleyan shooters off the 3-point stripe and challenged the drive to the basket by staying in front of the ball. It forced the Tigers’ Breanna Wendland to throw an awkward shot hard off the glass.

“We went with a smaller lineup so we could switch everything,” Bailey said. “We don’t do that a lot where we just switch everything. But they were great on ball. Wesleyan couldn’t get a shot off. At the end of the day, we found a way to win.”

Beth Matas Martin led the Hawks with 13 points, while Sarah Nelson had 12 points and nine rebounds and Flanagan added 11 points. The Hawks had 16 assists against nine turnovers and outscored the Tigers’ bench 21-0.