QU men suffer another nip-and-tuck loss as McKendree closes GLVC game on 13-8 run

LEBANON, Ill. — Finding a way to reverse the trend is the Quincy University men’s basketball team’s toughest challenge right now.

The Hawks put themselves in position to win a nip-and-tuck game yet again Thursday night, twice getting within three points of McKendree in the final five minutes but never drawing closer. This time, it led to a 91-86 loss in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

All eight games played since QU returned from the Christmas break have been decided by six points or less with the Hawks going 2-6 in that stretch. Worse yet is the way things have gone down the stretch in each of those games.

Against the Bearcats, the Hawks were outscored 13-8 in the final five minutes. In the six losses combined, Quincy has been outscored 92-57 in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime.

That’s a reverse of what happened in the first half Thursday night.

The Hawks (9-10, 2-7 GLVC) trailed 38-28 with seven minutes to go in the first half, but they went on a 20-8 tear to take a 48-46 lead into halftime. Malik Hardmon had eight points in the run, and Nate Shockey finished it with a jumper with two seconds left to give QU the lead.

The momentum was left in the locker room. The Bearcats (8-4, 4-4 GLVC) scored the first nine points of the second half, and it took until nearly the 10-minute mark for the Hawks to fully right the ship. Hardmon’s basket in the paint with 10:05 to go have the Hawks a 69-68 lead.

Eight second later, McKendree’s Aleksa Popovic hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead. A five-minute see-saw with the lead began before the Bearcats went on a 6-0 spurt to go up 84-78 with three minutes to play.

The Hawks never fully responded, going 3 for 13 from the field in the final five minutes.

Hardmon led the Hawks with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Shockey and Mark Bradshaw Jr. had 16 points apiece. Bryson Bultman led the Bearcats with 32 points, six rebounds and five assists.