QU women see GLVC tourney hopes take major hit with lopsided loss to Illinois-Springfield

QUINCY — The math never lies.

“It’s tough to come back from 25 points down,” Quincy University women’s basketball coach Kaci Bailey said.

And that’s exactly where QU found itself at intermission.

Illinois-Springfield, which entered Saturday’s game with a 2-21 record, dominated Quincy from start to finish in posting an 81-59 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory at Pepsi Arena. The game was every bit as one-sided as the score suggests. UIS led for more than 38 of the game’s 40 minutes.

“This was a huge blow for us in trying to finish .500 and qualify for the (GLVC) postseason tournament,” Bailey said. “(UIS) just wanted it more than we did, and that’s on us.”

QU is now 10-14 overall and 6-10 in the GLVC. The Hawks are part of a two-way tie for ninth in the GLVC point rating system. The top eight teams qualify for the GLVC Tournament, taking place March 2-5 in St. Charles, Mo.

“We have a lot of work to do, we have to have a lot more heart,” said QU junior forward Cymirah Williams, who was one of the few bright spots for the Hawks, ending with 13 points and 11 rebounds. “This was unexpected. We are the better team, but (UIS) beat us today.”

Quincy won the first meeting between the two schools 91-80 in early December.

Beth Matas Martin scored a team-high 17 points for Quincy, which has dropped four of its last five games. Grace Flanagan and Emma Knipe each had nine points for QU.

UIS (3-21, 3-13 GLVC) stormed to a 41-16 halftime lead and never relented.

Liz Uhl drained 32 points to lead the Prairie Stars, swishing five 3-pointers. Uhl also led UIS in rebounding with nine.

“We were sloppy out there. We had no flow,” Bailey said. “We let (UIS) dictate the play.”

QU actually outscored UIS 43-40 in the second half, but that provided little solace for Bailey.

“It’s tough to play just for a half and expect to win,” she said

QU will host William Jewell at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The Cardinals are 4-23 overall and 2-15 in the GLVC. Quincy defeated William Jewell 69-52 in early January. The Cardinals have lost 11 in a row.