QU men stumble at finish line, still fight way into GLVC Tournament field

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A win-and-you’re-in scenario didn’t put the Quincy University men’s basketball team in a lose-and-you’re-out situation.

That’s a lucky thing.

With a chance to secure a spot in the eight-team Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017, Quincy stumbled Saturday in a 69-63 loss to Rockhurst at Mason-Halpin Field House. However, the loss didn’t knock Quincy out of contention.

QU finished tied for eighth in the league standings with Missouri S&T with 10-10 records, but thanks to the point rating system the GLVC uses to determine its postseason tourney field, Quincy earned the No. 8 seed and will face top-seeded Indianapolis at noon Thursday at Hyland Arena on the Lindenwood University campus in St. Charles, Mo.

QU (14-14) will need to find a way to re-engage offensively to take down the Greyhounds.

The fifth loss in the last six games was hallmarked by struggles shooting the ball. Quincy shot just 30.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range, going 1 of 7 from beyond the arc in the first half when it dug itself a 12-point hole.

After Solomon Gustafson scored the first six points of the second half for Quincy, the offense seemed to find some rhythm, eventually pulling within 53-50 with 10:33 to go after Nate Shockey converted a three-point play.

However, Quincy missed its next eight field-goal attempts and managed just four free throws over a span of 5:45, which allowed Rockhurst to push its advantage back to eight points.

Quincy didn’t get closer than six points over the final five minutes.

Malik Hardmon led QU with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but he went 4 of 16 from the field. Jamaurie Coakley had 14 points and Zion Richardson added 13 as Quincy managed just six assists. Rich Byhre led Rockhurst, which is the fourth seed in the GLVC Tournament, with 22 points and 10 rebounds.