Stunner to start: Hawks open GLVC play by upending preseason favorite Greyhounds

QUINCY — After not enjoying a winning record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference since the 2016-17 season, the Quincy University men’s basketball team started conference play in stunning fashion Saturday with a 62-57 victory over preseason conference favorite Indianapolis at Pepsi Arena.

So how long will Quincy coach Steve Hawkins enjoy giving the No. 20 team in the NCAA Division II national rankings its first loss of the season?  

“About 10 minutes,” Hawkins said. “It’s a good win, but it’s just the beginning. We’ve got Lewis coming in here Monday, so the coaches are going to go over the scouting report later tonight.”

It was also the Hawks (3-3, 1-0 GLVC) first win over a ranked opponent since February 2020 when they beat Missouri–St. Louis.

The Greyhounds punched the Hawks in the mouth right out of the gate with an 8-0 run in the game’s first two minutes. 

But Quincy countered with a strong defensive effort that made Indianapolis big man Kendrick Tchoua work. Hawkins credited Solomon Gustafson and Mason Wujek for battling in the post. 

“We started a little sluggish,” Hawkins said. “Our depth really helped us. We got clean rebounds and we played good defense. People will say it’s an ugly game — it was smashmouth basketball. You win  basketball games because of your defense, your toughness and your togetherness.”

A 12-2 run by the Hawks pushed their lead to 30-25 with 1:52 left in the first half, and they led 32-30 at the break. 

The first five minutes of the second half were a see-saw affair with seven lead changes. QU took command of the game with a 10-0 run with Paul Zilinskas burying a critical 3-pointer during the run.

Indianapolis made one last push to cut the deficit to three in the final three minutes, but QU was able to hit key free throws down the stretch, finishing 14 of 17 from the line overall.

Zilinskas led the Hawks with 16 points. Malik Hardmon and Jamaurie Coakley also finished in double figures for QU with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Josiah Tynes and Jesse Bingham each scored 15 points to pace the Greyhounds (4-1, 0-1 GLVC).