QU women’s basketball team unable to overcome slow starts to each half

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — A sluggish start to each half ruined the start to the Quincy University women’s basketball team’s new year.

Truman State outscored Quincy 10-3 over the first five minutes of the first quarter and then went on a 9-2 run over the first two minutes of the third quarter, building an insurmountable lead in a 68-56 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory Thursday night at Pershing Arena.

The Bulldogs have beaten the Hawks 11 consecutive times with seven of those victories by double digits.

After the Bulldogs scored on the game’s opening possession, the Hawks’ Emma Knipe drilled a 3-pointer just 28 seconds into the game for a 3-2 lead. It was the last one the Hawks enjoyed as Truman State scored the next eight points with Quincy missing nine consecutive shots.

Cymirah Williams ended the drought with a layin on the fourth shot of the possession with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter.

The Hawks (5-8, 1-4 GLVC) chiseled the deficit to 18-16 on Grace Flanagan’s layup 1:47 into the second quarter, but the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 10 points on two separate occasions and carried a 33-28 lead into halftime.

The 9-2 burst to start the second half crushed Quincy’s hopes of a comeback.

Senior forward Sarah Nelson led the Hawks with 17 points, while Beth Matas Martin had 11 points and four assists. Quincy shot just 35.3 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from 3-point range, going 3 of 16. 

The Bulldogs (8-5, 4-1 GLVC) shot 47.3 percent from the field with Hannah Belanger scoring 24 points.