QU women’s basketball team finishes strong, wins first season opener since 2015-16 season

CEDARVILLE, Ohio — One of the biggest takeaways from Courtney Boyd’s first season as the Quincy University women’s basketball coach was the Hawks needed to learn to finish what they start.

Friday, they finished with a flourish.

The Hawks kickstarted Boyd’s second campaign by responding to a fourth-quarter surge from Ursuline College by closing the game on an 8-3 run over the two minutes to grab a 71-69 victory in the GMAC/GLVC Regional Crossover at Cedarville University’s Callan Athletic Center.

“I looked at our staff and said, ‘Guys, we finished a game,’” Boyd said.

They won a season opener, too. Quincy hadn’t started a season with a victory since 2015.

“Our guards stuck to the game plan, and they moved the ball really well at times to find some oponeings,” Boyd said. “Our post had a tougher task than what we were prepared for. So the adjustments they made defensively put us in a good spot down the stretch.

“And we hit big shots. We had players who shot the ball really well.”

Quincy led 61-52 with seven minutes to play before Ursuline went on a 12-0 run to pull ahead 64-61 with 3:22 remaining. A pair of free throws by Taylor Haase and a 3-pointer by Nicole McDermott tied the game at 66 with 2:03 remaining.

“We kind of chipped away,” Boyd said. “We adjusted our defense a couple of times and made a couple of shots. The defensive stops were huge.”

McDermott gave Quincy the lead with 1:19 to go as she made a pair of free throws, and Karsyn Stratton hit a jumper with 22 seconds to play to make it a 70-66 lead. Ursuline’s Kamryn Dziak drilled a 3-pointer with 13 seconds to go, but QU’s Cymirah Williams split a pair of free throws and the Hawks forced a turnover on the final possession to seal the victory.

“We were able to get a couple of good stops which helped us,” Boyd said.

McDermott led the Hawks with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mariann Blass scored 17 points, going 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Quincy made 5 of 11 3-pointers and shot 42.5 percent from the field overall, while outrebounding Urusline 36-30.

The Hawks will face Cedarville at 2:15 p.m. Saturday before playing their home opener at 7 p.m. next Friday against Roosevelt in the Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic.