Posts Tagged ‘College basketball’
West wraps up big night with strong closing burst to help WIU men stay in second-place tie in OVC
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Jesiah West carried the Western Illinois men’s basketball team in the final minutes Thursday night in a 62-55 victory at Tennessee Tech. The victory sees WIU improve to 16-10 overall and 9-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference, remaining in a tie for second place. The Leathernecks led most of the way, but…
Read More‘We’re just soul-searching a little bit’: Mistakes, inconsistency lead to Trail Blazers getting upset
QUINCY — The outside doors to the Student Activity Center had been locked and a few of the inside lights dimmed by the time John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt emerged from the locker room after meeting with his team. “We’re just soul-searching a little bit,” he said. “We’re just trying to…
Read MoreWinless Spoon River provides perfect tonic for home-court woes for John Wood women
QUINCY — Winning at home has been a struggle for the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team this season. Until Wednesday night. The Trail Blazers scored the opening 12 points and 23 of the first 25 to coast to an 87-31 victory over winless Spoon River College in a Mid-West Athletic Conference game at…
Read MoreSecond-half struggles offensively send QU men to fifth consecutive loss
ST. LOUIS — Another drought, another loss. It’s a trend the Quincy University men’s basketball team cannot shake. The Hawks were tied with Missouri-St. Louis at 42 with 13 minutes remaining in regulation of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference game when the offense went south. Quincy managed just two free throws over an eight-minute stretch,…
Read MoreForced to play catch-up, QU women unable to reel in UMSL in GLVC road loss
ST. LOUIS — Scoring just one field goal in the first six minutes of the second quarter Saturday put the Quincy University women’s basketball team in catch-up mode. The Hawks just couldn’t ever catch up. QU’s second-quarter drought enabled Missouri-St. Louis to build a 12-point advantage that, despite being whittled to four at one point…
Read MoreC-SC men’s four-game win streak ends on road as Grand View rallies in closing minutes
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Culver-Stockton College men’s basketball team saw its four-game winning streak snapped after a 92-87 loss to Grand View on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Wildcats back to the .500 mark at 12-12 overall and 10-10 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. With Peru State’s victory over Missouri Valley,…
Read MoreC-SC women fall into eighth-place tie in Heart following loss at Grand View
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Culver-Stockton College women’s basketball team suffered a 68-61 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss to 17th-ranked Grand View University at the Charles Johnson Wellness Center on Saturday. The loss drops the Wildcats into a tie with Graceland for the eighth and final playoff spot for the conference postseason tournament with…
Read MoreQU men allow McKendree to go on back-breaking second-half run, suffer fourth straight loss
LEBANON, Ill. — Which statistic best sums up why the Quincy University men’s basketball team suffered a 77-68 loss to McKendree on Thursday night? Could it be the 21.4 percent shooting from 3-point range? Or maybe it was allowing the Bearcats to make 11 treys and shoot 50 percent from beyond the arc? The fact…
Read MoreRough start to fourth quarter proves costly as QU women suffer loss at McKendree
LEBANON, Ill. — The problem the Quincy University women’s basketball team seemed to have fixed resurfaced Thursday night. Three quarters of quality play were undone by one rocky stretch. The Hawks led McKendree by one point heading to the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s Great Lakes Valley Conference, only to get outscored 11-2 over the…
Read MoreLarson takes advantage of second chance to hit game-winner as C-SC men move into fifth place
MARSHALL, Mo. — The Culver-Stockton College men’s basketball team got late-game heroics for the second straight game to claim a 73-72 victory over Missouri Valley College Wednesday night in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game. The Wildcats trailed 72-70 when Seth Larson had his 3-point attempt from the right corner blocked with eight seconds…
Read MoreCulver-Stockton women dodge two game-tying 3-pointers to snap six-game road losing streak
MARSHALL, Mo. — The Culver-Stockton College women’s basketball team survived two game-tying 3-point attempts in the final 10 seconds to escape with a 60-55 victory over Missouri Valley College Wednesday night in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game. The Wildcats held a 58-55 lead with 15 seconds remaining in regulation and had the ball…
Read MoreCulver-Stockton’s Fry named Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Week
CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College guard Robert Fry II is the WinWon Heart of America Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week; the league announced Monday. Fry, a 6-foot-1 junior from Indianapolis, registered 20 points or more in all three Wildcat victories last week. He averaged 20.7 points, two rebounds and 2.3 assists per…
Read MoreHawks get third straight win heading to first place McKendree later this week
QUINCY – Passion and persistence paid off for Cymirah Williams and her Quincy University teammates Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena. Williams led the Hawks with a 20-point, 15 rebound effort, but hit what she called an “up and over” inside move that led to a three-point play and a 73-60 win over William Jewell in…
Read MoreSix players score in double figures as Western Illinois picks up Ohio Valley Conference victory
MACOMB – On this week’s two-game stretch through Missouri, the Western Illinois University men’s basketball showed everyone it is for real. After a victory over Lindenwood on Thursday night, the Leathernecks rolled past Southeast Missouri 76-55 on Saturday afternoon. The win was the largest conference victory for the Leathernecks (15-8 overall, 8-2 in Ohio Valley…
Read MoreBlistering shooting in second half helps Rockhurst overcome physical play, pull away from QU men
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team traded punches (figuratively), verbal barbs and physical play (literally) during the first half of Thursday night’s game with Rockhurst. It appeared the trend would continue during the first two minutes of the second half, but Rockhurst took over with an overwhelming shooting performance. During a 10½-minute stretch…
Read MoreStevenson buries clinching 3-pointer to help QU women rally past Rockhurst, even GLVC record at 7-7
QUINCY — When she caught the pass from Karsyn Stratton at the top of the key, Taya Stevenson swears she never hesitated. Even though she hadn’t taken a 3-point shot the entire game. Even though she was only a 27 percent 3-point shooter this season. “I think I have confidence in myself, and my teammates…
Read MorePhoto Gallery: Home-court loss causes Hawks to slip to 10th place in Great Lakes Valley Conference
During a 10½-minute stretch in the second half, Rockhurst made 15 of 20 shots from the field (including nine out of 11 from 3-point range) to turn a tie score into a 23-point lead on its way to a 100-79 victory in Pepsi Arena in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game. Quincy now sits in…
Read MoreWestern Illinois shoots 57 percent from field, tops Lindenwood to stay in second place in OVC
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – With the defense taking the majority of the headlines this season, it was the offense’s turn Thursday as the Western Illinois men’s basketball team topped Lindenwood 79-71 to improve to 14-8 overall and 7-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play, good enough for second place. The Leathernecks also improved to 5-1 on…
Read MoreCulver-Stockton women take defending NAIA champs to overtime before suffering road defeat
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Culver-Stockton College women’s basketball team gave nationally-ranked and defending NAIA national champion Clarke University all it could handle Wednesday night before losing 73-70 in overtime in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game at the Kehl Center. The Wildcats led 52-43 entering the fourth quarter. However, the fifth-ranked Pride outscored the…
Read MoreC-SC men climb into sixth place in conference race with overtime victory at Clarke
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Culver-Stockton College men’s basketball team outscored Clarke University 17-6 in overtime to post a 94-83 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory Wednesday night at the Kehl Center. The Wildcats, who have three of their last four games, improve to 10-11 overall and 8-9 in the Heart. They are in sixth place…
Read MoreCulver-Stockton’s Ortiz named Heart of America Athletic Conference player of the week
CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College guard Aaliyah Ortiz has been named the WinWon Heart of America Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 21-27, the league announced Monday. Ortiz, a graduate student from Tucson, Ariz., led the Wildcats to two victories. She averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists…
Read MoreAll By Myself: Without twin sister by her side, Flynn becoming one of top scorers in JWCC history
QUINCY – John Wood Community College guard Katey Flynn admits it’s strange not playing alongside her twin sister, Klare, on the basketball court this season. The Flynn twins had been teammates in whatever sport was in season growing up in Mount Sterling. The only previous separation came during their freshman year in high school when…
Read MoreShelton gets transition game into high gear as Trail Blazers blow out Danville in second half
QUINCY, Ill. – John Wood Community College guard Jordan Shelton spent all but five minutes of the first half of Saturday afternoon’s game against Danville Area Community College on the bench with two personal fouls. He went from spectator to spectacular in the second half. The 5-foot-11 freshman from Mexico (Mo.) High School scored all…
Read MoreQU women lead for most of contest but lose for 14th consecutive time to Drury
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An opportunity lost. The Quincy University women’s basketball team opened an early 12-point lead and led for nearly 27 minutes Thursday night, but its inability to convert on the offensive end in the closing minutes allowed Drury to rally for a 70-66 victory at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. The Panthers improved…
Read MoreLate baskets by Gianquinto help JWCC men pick up critical region victory on home floor
QUINCY — An offensive rebound basket by Cachao Gianquinto put the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team ahead with 2:10 remaining in the game, and a layup by Gianquinto moments later provided the cushion necessary to post a 72-68 victory over Lincoln Land Community College on Wednesday night at the Student Activity Center. The…
Read MoreHot start to fourth quarter from perimeter carries QU women to GLVC road victory
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Perhaps this will prove to be a signature victory. The Quincy University women’s basketball team used back-to-back 3-pointers by Mikayla Huffine and another by Mariann Blass on consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon to break open a tight game and hold on for a 69-66 road victory over the…
Read MoreQU men suffer 22-point road loss as consistency, confidence issues continue
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy University men’s basketball team dominated one of the best teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference for 12 minutes. It was the other 28 minutes that did in the Hawks. University of Illinois-Springfield used a barrage of 3-pointers to score the opening 10 points and lead 18-2 after four minutes,…
Read MoreCrim: From NFL streaming to Schreake’s freshman campaign to being bitterly cold outside, Sunday indoors offers plenty to think about
QUINCY — Random thoughts on a bitterly cold day while waiting for friends to post more Facebook pictures of themselves either playing golf or frolicking in a heated pool in Florida: Would the NFL have considered postponing the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game because of “dangerously cold” weather conditions featuring a “significant risk of frostbite” had it…
Read MoreHawks gets bullied on offensive boards in suffering GLVC loss to Peacocks
QUINCY — A basketball team can usually point to a few things to explain why it came up four points short. For the Quincy University men, it was only one. “We gave up 12 offensive rebounds,” guard Zion Richardson said. “That’s the ballgame right there.” Upper Iowa used those opportunities to score 11 second-chance points…
Read MorePlaying from behind too much for QU women to overcome in loss to Upper Iowa
QUINCY — Upper Iowa’s opening salvo was too much for the Quincy University women’s basketball team to overcome. The Peacocks needed just four possessions in the initial two minutes to bolt to an 11-0 lead and that cushion proved to be enough to withstand a second-half charge by the Hawks to secure a 69-62 victory…
Read MoreLeathernecks move into first place in OVC following fifth straight conference victory
CHARLESTON, Ill. — The Ohio Valley Conference newcomer is now the OVC frontrunner. That’s a position the Western Illinois University men’s basketball team would like to maintain. The Leathernecks moved into sole possession of first place in the OVC on Saturday, making two critical plays in the final 30 seconds of regulation to outlast Eastern…
Read MoreRichardson’s clutch plays at both ends of floor help Hawks reverse GLVC trend with Thursday victory
QUINCY — To be the hero at one end, Zion Richardson couldn’t be the goat at the other. He put himself in the right position to avoid that. An errant pass by Richardson from the backcourt while under pressure from the Truman State defense gave the Bulldogs a steal and the opportunity to cut into…
Read MoreChoosing to ‘get on the boat’ enables QU women to outlast Truman State for needed GLVC victory
QUINCY — Cymirah Williams put the onus squarely on the shoulders of the Quincy University women’s basketball players. “It’s a choice,” the junior forward said. “It’s our choice.” The choice seems quite simple. Fight through adversity, play buzzer to buzzer and find a way to win or slack off for a quarter or more and…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men and women complete GLVC sweep of Truman State
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams completed a Great Lakes Valley Conference sweep of Truman State on Thursday night at Pepsi Arena with the men surviving a 75-73 finish and the women making clutch free throws for a 78-75 victory. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening at Pepsi…
Read MoreCollege notebook: Former QU assistant coach guiding nation’s No. 1-ranked NCAA D-II team
QUINCY — The new No. 1-ranked men’s basketball team in NCAA Division II is being led by a former Quincy University assistant coach. Minnesota State-Moorhead moved to the top on the National Basketball Coaches Association poll this week with a 14-0 record, displacing reigning D-II national champion Nova Southeastern after the Sharks had their 62-game…
Read MoreSchuckman: Hawks taking things personal in hopes of getting off roller coaster ride
QUINCY — The trend needs to end. The only way to do that is to take losing personal. So the Quincy University men’s basketball team’s coaching staff slapped those words across the dry-erase board in the locker room following last Wednesday’s 80-66 loss at Rockhurst. “It’s been on the board all week,” sophomore point guard…
Read MoreTrust in their offense enables Hawks to weather field goal drought, defense stymies Bearcats
QUINCY — The longer it took for the Quincy University men’s basketball team to find success offensively, the more an 18-point halftime lead narrowed. The key was it never fully dissipated. The Hawks’ belief in themselves didn’t evaporate either. Quincy made just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the second half of…
Read MoreThree solid quarters not enough for QU women to erase one dismal quarter at start of loss to SBU
QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team continues to find itself three-quarters of the way to success. That missing quarter tripped the Hawks up again Saturday. Southwest Baptist outscored Quincy 23-10 in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead despite the Hawks’ second-half surge, leading to a 68-65 victory in Great Lakes Valley…
Read MoreOffense hits cold spell in second half as QU women drop GLVC road game at Rockhurst
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The run didn’t stop when the third quarter ended. That was bad news for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. Having led by as many as eight points, Quincy saw its advantage completely evaporate in the span of 3 minutes, 33 seconds as Rockhurst closed the third quarter Wednesday night on…
Read MoreEmpty possessions turn tide in Rockhurst’s favor as QU men suffer GLVC road loss
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three consecutive empty offensive possessions coupled with three consecutive empty defensive possessions put the Quincy University men’s basketball team in an unenviable position. Rockhurst made it uncomfortable the rest of the way, too. The sequence that lasted 1 minute, 54 seconds early in the second half of Wednesday night’s Great Lakes…
Read MoreJWCC men head into new year with good vibes, right demeanor after back-to-back victories
QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball players packed a six-game losing streak in their belongings and carried it home for the holidays. That’s where they left it. The Trail Blazers ended the 2023 portion of their schedule with back-to-back wins, beating Kishwaukee College 62-51 on Sunday in the JWCC New Year’s Classic…
Read MorePhoto gallery: JWCC completes weekend sweep to seize momentum with MWAC play looming
QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s 62-51 victory over Kishwaukee College on Sunday at JWCC’s Student Activity Center capped a perfect weekend as the Trail Blazers won both of their games in the JWCC New Year’s Classic. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the afternoon with the Trail Blazers and…
Read MoreTalton’s 3-pointer lifts JWCC men to victory in first game of New Year’s Classic
QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team has some fight in it. That didn’t get left at home during the holiday break. In the Trail Blazers’ first game in two weeks, they scored the final five points, including Joshua Talton’s 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in regulation, to snare a 76-73 victory…
Read MoreHawks head home for holidays with Christmas cheer, three-game win streak and tourney title
QUINCY — The getaway game never got away from the Quincy University men’s basketball team. That should make for a Merry Christmas for all. In the Hawks’ final game before heading home for the holiday break, they held Wayne State to 28-percent shooting from the field in the second half of a 66-55 victory Sunday…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men win championship of Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic
QUINCY — A suffocating defensive effort in the second half of Sunday’s game and a double-double from senior guard Zion Richardson gave the Quincy University men’s basketball team a 66-55 victory over Wayne State and the championship of the Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman was at Pepsi Arena and put together…
Read MoreHawks dispatch East-West University as reaching potential remains work in progress
QUINCY — First, some good news regarding the Quincy University men’s basketball team. The Hawks turned back East-West University 84-52 on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of about 300 at Pepsi Arena in the first round of the two-day Hansen-Spear Holiday Classic. The victory was impressive, even if it came against an overmatched…
Read MoreTrail Blazers unable to stop bounce back as Stormers fend off second-half rally
QUINCY — Brad Hoyt knows the yo-yo happens. “Finding a way to stop the bounce back is what’s critical,” he said. The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team couldn’t do that Saturday afternoon. Although Milwaukee Area Technical College led from start to finish in an 82-69 victory at the Student Athletic Center, the Trail…
Read MoreToughness wins: QU is unable to match UMSL’s physical style in GLVC loss
QUINCY — It isn’t difficult within the Great Lakes Valley Conference to find men’s basketball teams that can be categorized as tougher than a $2 steak. They are the ones beating up on Quincy University. Despite shooting the ball uncharacteristically well Thursday night — the worst 3-point shooting team in the GLVC actually made 10…
Read MoreQU women’s basketball team never gets on track in GLVC loss to UMSL
QUINCY — Discombobulated might be the most apropos way to describe the way things went Thursday night for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. Penciled into the starting lineup like usual, sophomore forward Chomp Danso was a last-minute scratch because of a health concern. It left the Hawks out of sorts from the start as…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men and women square off against UMSL in GLVC doubleheader
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams struggled through a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Thursday night at Pepsi Arena. The women lost 62-44 to Missouri-St. Louis, while the men suffered a 75-66 setback against the Tritons. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent the evening courtside and put together this photo…
Read MoreQU men’s basketball team regains offensive rhythm in second half of victory over Maryville
ST. LOUIS — The Quincy University men’s basketball team finally regained its rhythm. The Hawks’ continued struggles offensively — 29-percent shooting from the field and 22-percent shooting from 3-point range — left them in a seven-point hole at halftime of Saturday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference game against Maryville at Moloney Arena. Things change at the…
Read MoreDefense, rebounding carry QU women’s basketball team to another GLVC victory
ST. LOUIS — Two important statistical categories explain why the Quincy University women’s basketball team has won three of its last four games and remains undefeated on the road this season. Shooting percentage and rebounding. In the three victories, including beating Maryville 63-55 on Saturday afternoon in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Moloney Arena,…
Read MoreConfidence comes in home victory as Hawks find way to get back on track
QUINCY — Coming off two disappointing losses in Michigan and with the start of Great Lakes Valley Conference play on the horizon, the Quincy University men’s basketball team needed a boost in confidence. While the pace of play was often ragged, thanks to a combined 83 missed field goal attempts and 25 turnovers, the Hawks…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men’s basketball team pulls away from Judson in second half
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team pulled away from Judson University in the second half and posted a 64-45 victory Saturday afternoon at Pepsi Arena to even its record at 3-3. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time at Pepsi Arena and put together this photo gallery:
Read MoreShooting woes plague Hawks in second half of another road loss
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The inability to knock down perimeter shots is keeping the Quincy University men’s basketball team from staying in games. Two days after shooting just 10.5 percent from 3-point range in a 42-point loss to Grand Valley State, the Hawks managed to make just 4 of 24 3-point attempts in a 75-62 loss…
Read MoreHawks suffer 40-point loss on road, shoot just 10 percent from 3-point range
ALLENDALE, Mich. — A rough start and a worse ending to the first half put the Quincy University men’s basketball team on a collision course with the wrong side of history. Grand Valley State scored the first seven points of Saturday’s game at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena and closed the half on a 12-3 run, giving…
Read MoreQU women get overwhelmed in first half, remain winless after four games
QUINCY — To borrow from Van Morrison, Courtney Boyd knew there would be days like this. The Quincy University women’s basketball team shot 23 percent from the field and turned the ball over 13 times to trail 45-17 after the first half, and the Hawks never got closer than 19 points thereafter in a 97-62…
Read MoreEveryone in: Hawks seize opportunity to give bench players needed experience in lopsided win
QUINCY — The early-season schedule is giving the Quincy University men’s basketball team the opportunity to gain the one thing it lacks — experience. All 13 available players logged double-figure minutes Wednesday night as the Hawks overcame a sluggish start to cruise to a 92-39 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University in their home opener in Pepsi…
Read More‘Weekend full of toughness’: Trail Blazers begin to forge identity with pair of victories
QUINCY — Brad Hoyt used two words to describe the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s defensive effort last weekend he hopes will be the same two words he uses to characterize the Trail Blazers all season. Toughness and physicality. JWCC won a pair of games in the John Wood Classic last weekend at…
Read MoreFree throws allow Hawks to hold off Oilers, pick up first victory of season
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Finding a way to win the final two minutes of regulation the way the Quincy University men’s basketball team did Saturday should help the Hawks learn to win more nip-and-tuck games the remainder of the season. Despite leading Findlay by as many as eight points in the second half of the GLVC/G-MAC…
Read MoreSecond-quarter struggles put QU women’s basketball in bind
QUINCY — A second-quarter lull offensively put the Quincy University women’s basketball team in a hole it could never escape. Leading 15-14 after the first quarter, the Hawks were outscored 24-9 in the second 10-minute frame by Ursuline College and suffered a 77-60 loss in the final game of the GLVC/G-MAC Crossover Challenge at Pepsi…
Read MoreQU women put up fight in Boyd’s debut, fall one possession short of completing comeback
QUINCY — The fight is there. The consistency isn’t. Once the Quincy University women’s basketball team develops the latter, winning games that are decided in the waning moments will become more common. For now, the Hawks will take the lessons learned from Friday afternoon’s 54-52 loss to Cedarville in the GLVC/G-MAC Crossover Challenge at Pepsi…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU women’s basketball team fights to final buzzer in season opener against Cedarville
QUINCY — Courtney Boyd’s first game as the head coach of the Quincy University women’s basketball team showcased a couple of the traits that are expected to be hallmarks of her teams. Grit and resiliency. If the Hawks can add better scoring touch and more consistency to that mix, good things lie ahead. Quincy suffered…
Read MoreHawks’ defense struggles in second half of season-opening loss to Yellowjackets
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — A five-point halftime edge was gone five minutes into the second half, and the Quincy University men’s basketball team’s defense never buckled down enough to regain any edge. Cedarville went on a 12-2 run early in the second half and shot 58 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes to…
Read More2023-24 Muddy River Sports college basketball preview section
QUINCY — Check out a 30-page preview of the area college basketball scene with an in-depth look at the men’s and women’s programs from Quincy University, John Wood Community College, Western Illinois University and Culver-Stockton College.
Read MoreAdded responsibilities on campus do not change Hoyt’s focus in leading JWCC hoops program
QUINCY — The number of times Brad Hoyt criss-crosses the John Wood Community College campus on a given day probably isn’t as high as some might think. The number of questions he fields from every corner of the campus … well, that’s a number he’d rather not calculate. The JWCC men’s basketball coach’s “my door…
Read MoreJones dazzles, Schreacke shines and Talton scores in season debuts on college hardwood
QUINCY — Three area basketball products enjoyed solid season debuts Monday. Hannibal’s Dezi Jones dazzled in his first game with the Austin Peay men’s basketball program. Quincy Notre Dame’s Abbey Schreacke helped the Missouri women’s basketball team open with a victory. And Quincy High School’s Jeremiah Talton reached double digits for the Lindenwood men. Jones,…
Read MoreQU men, women both picked to finish ninth in GLVC preseason basketball coaches polls
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball programs find themselves in the same exact spot. They have to prove the Great Lakes Valley Conference coaches wrong. Both QU programs were picked ninth among the league’s 14 teams in the preseason poll of the league’s coaches. Only the top eight teams make the GLVC…
Read MoreQU men’s basketball team looks to gain experience, show determination in exhibition against Iowa
QUINCY — Zion Richardson sees two significant benefits to the Quincy University men’s basketball team playing an exhibition game at the University of Iowa. “Experience and reps,” the senior guard said. The Hawks need both. QU officially opens its season Nov. 10 against Cedarville in the GLVC-GMAC Challenge in Kirksville, Mo., but with a roster…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men’s basketball team prepping for exhibition game at Iowa
QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team will play its only exhibition game next Monday against the University of Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes are picked ninth in the Big Ten Conference’s preseason media poll. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent time with the Hawks at Pepsi Arena…
Read MoreSchuckman: Coaching camaraderie that brought Izzo to town helps create fervor for QU season
QUINCY — Logistically, it didn’t make sense. Tom Izzo didn’t care. Steve Hawkins needed the right person to headline the Quincy University men’s basketball program’s first tip-off banquet, and the Michigan State Hall of Fame coach willingly obliged, despite the whirlwind schedule it created. Izzo boarded a plane from East Lansing, Mich., to Quincy early…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU tip-off banquet draws large crowd to hear Michigan State’s Tom Izzo speak
QUINCY — Tom Izzo is entertaining. Steve Hawkins is, too. Put the Michigan State and Quincy University men’s basketball coaches on the stage together and time flies with the stories they tell. That’s what took place Sunday night in QU’s Pepsi Arena where Izzo served as the guest speaker at the QU basketball program’s first…
Read MoreWIU’s Massner will get chance to Heat up during NBA Summer League
MACOMB, Ill. — Trenton Massner’s history-making efforts as a senior on the Western Illinois University men’s basketball team were noticed far beyond the Summit League borders. Coaches with the Miami Heat liked what they saw. Massner, the 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Wapello, Iowa, inked a free-agent deal with the Heat after going undrafted in last…
Read MorePair of former QU assistant coaches join NCAA Division I staffs
QUINCY — Former Quincy University men’s basketball coach Luke Strege is moving back to the NCAA Division I level. After eight highly successful seasons at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo., Strege recently was hired as an assistant coach at North Dakota State University. The Bison went 16-17 overall last season and 11-7 in…
Read MoreBoyd adds former Truman State guard to QU women’s basketball coaching staff
QUINCY — A coach with ties to the Great Lakes Valley Conference will join new head coach Courtney Boyd on the Quincy University women’s basketball team’s sideline next season. Brooke Bailey will be Boyd’s top assistant, having agreed to join the QU staff after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Hillsdale…
Read MoreFormer QU men’s basketball players in transfer portal find new landing spots
QUINCY — Two former Quincy University men’s basketball players who entered the transfer portal have found new homes. Paul Zilinskas, a 6-foot-6 swingman with two years of eligibility remaining, announced via social media last week he will be joining another Great Lakes Valley Conference program as he plans to sign with the University of Indianapolis.…
Read MoreBoudreau, WIU prove compatible, making his promotion to men’s basketball coach easy move
MACOMB, Ill. — Western Illinois University found its perfect match, so there was no reason to waste any time making it official. Six days after naming Chad Boudreau as the interim men’s basketball coach in the wake of Rob Jeter’s sudden departure to take over at Southern Utah, WIU athletic director Paul Bubb removed the…
Read MoreBoudreau named WIU interim basketball coach with Jeter leaving for Southern Utah
MACOMB, Ill. — Chad Boudreau is getting the chance to prove he deserves an NCAA Division I head coaching position with a live audition. After news broke Friday that Western Illinois University coach Rob Jeter was finalizing a deal to take over at Southern Utah, Leathernecks athletic director Paul Bubb named Boudreau as the interim…
Read More‘Here we go’: Boyd ready to guide QU women’s basketball program back to historic heights
QUINCY — The caller ID read “Josh Rabe,” which meant Courtney Boyd knew which direction the conversation would veer if she answered. She said hello without hesitation. “What went through my head was, ‘Here we go,’” said Boyd, the Keokuk, Iowa, native who recently capped her sixth season as the head women’s basketball coach at…
Read MoreSchuckman: Coaching change is emotional torture on Hawks, but their research reveals ‘good, positive things’ with Boyd’s hiring
QUINCY — The overlapping exodus of Kaci Bailey and arrival of Courtney Boyd made for an emotionally challenging 36 hours for the Quincy University women’s basketball players. “Definitely a little stressful, a little overwhelming,” freshman guard Rylee Denbow said. Mix in plenty of uncertainty. “There are a lot of unknowns up in the air right…
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck: Hobbs discusses becoming next C-SC men’s basketball coach
CANTON, Mo. — Dorian Hobbs Jr. found his way home. A former Culver-Stockton College student-athlete and assistant coach with the men’s basketball team, Hobbs joined the Millikin University coaching staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in May 2021. However, his ties to C-SC made him want to return after Aaron Hill resigned as…
Read MoreSchuckman: Bailey left QU women’s basketball program riding upward trajectory
QUINCY — Kaci Bailey never intended to leave Quincy University as abruptly as she did. “Obviously, I wouldn’t have bought a house,” she said. Bailey never sold it as a lifelong commitment to coach women’s basketball here either. “As I told (QU athletic director Josh Rabe), QU has never been in the mix to be…
Read MoreBailey resigns as QU women’s basketball coach, takes over as head coach at Drury
QUINCY — The job Kaci Bailey did of pulling the Quincy University women’s basketball program from the dregs in just two seasons didn’t go unnoticed. It’s why the Hawks are in the market for a new coach already. Bailey tendered her resignation Tuesday and was introduced Wednesday morning as the new head coach at Drury…
Read MoreJones, former Hannibal all-stater, arrested in Connecticut and charged with strangulation, disorderly conduct
HAMDEN, Conn. — Former Hannibal multi-sport standout Dezi Jones was arrested by the Hamden Police Department on Tuesday night and charged with misdemeanor strangulation/suffocation and disorderly conduct, according to police reports. The arrest was first reported by NBC Connecticut. Jones, a 5-foot-10 guard who spent the previous two seasons on the Quinnipiac University men’s basketball…
Read MoreHurricane warning: Former JWCC basketball player with front row seat for Final Four as student manager for Miami
QUINCY — Kameron Whiteman and his family were walking around a Kansas City, Mo., business district during last weekend’s Midwest Regional finals when he ducked into a store filled with NCAA Tournament gear. He found shirts for the Houston, Texas and Xavier men’s basketball programs. “They didn’t have any Miami gear,” Whiteman said. He took…
Read MoreJWCC’s Talton finds ‘great fit for me’ as he commits to play at Division I Lindenwood
QUINCY — Looking back now, the sidestep Jeremiah Talton took on his path to an NCAA Division I college basketball program might have been the best thing for him. Lindenwood University gets to see the benefits of that for the next three years. The John Wood Community College freshman swingman and former Quincy High School…
Read MoreSchuckman: Building camaraderie, talking basketball brings Hawks together with Curtis Creek residents
QUINCY — Being insulated by the borders of the Quincy University campus gives the men’s basketball players a sense of security, but it doesn’t offer many opportunities to embrace those who embrace the Hawks’ success. Those are things they long to do. “We’ve wanted to be more involved in the community,” junior guard Zion Richardson…
Read MoreCrim: Bracket busting isn’t exclusive to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament
QUINCY — It has been a bracket-busting tournament. No, we’re not talking about 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson toppling No. 1 Purdue. The Boilermakers, after all, have now lost to a double-digit seed in each of the last three seasons, so the outcome should not have been a complete shock. Rather, this concerns the NCAA Division II…
Read MoreSchuckman: This bracket is sure to bust, but Mizzou in final four will always be my dream
QUINCY — There are two rules of thumb I try to follow when filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket. One, never write the name of the school to the west of Missouri on any sheet. Two, try not to pick with your heart. The first one I always accomplish. The second? I failed miserably this…
Read MoreTrail Blazers’ Talton earns Region 24 and MWAC Player of the Year honors
QUINCY — For the fifth straight season and the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team has produced the Region 24 Player of the Year. This year, for just the second time in that stretch, the Trail Blazers swept three major postseason awards. Credit Jeremiah Talton for…
Read MoreHawks’ Zilinskas, Davis announce they have entered transfer portal, won’t return to QU
QUINCY — A pair of Quincy University men’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal. Junior guard Paul Zilinskas and redshirt freshman forward Connor Davis announced their decisions on social media last week. Zilinskas, a 6-foot-5 swingman from , was the Hawks’ third leading scorer, averaging 10.9 points while shooting 42 percent from the field…
Read MoreCrim: Family’s passion for basketball is ‘awesome’ experience for Hamilton native Kurt Meister
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A case could be made that the Meisters are Rochester’s first family of basketball. Kurt and Angie Meister’s oldest child, Lincoln, is a 6-foot-10 junior forward on the Minnesota-Duluth men’s basketball team. The Bulldogs won 23 games during the regular season and qualified for the NCAA Division II national tournament for the…
Read MoreTrail Blazers’ season ends in unfamiliar territory with loss in Region 24 quarterfinals
CANTON, Ill. — The dark ride home gave John Wood Community College men’s basketball Brad Hoyt to accept there will be no tomorrow, at least not for this year’s team. “The reality has sunk in,” Hoyt said. “You get spoiled.” For the first time in six years, the Trail Blazers won’t play for the Region…
Read MoreHannibal’s Jones earns second-team All-MAAC after guiding Quinnipiac to third place in league
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Dezi Jones’ junior season proved to be one that made the men’s basketball coaches around the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference take note. The Hannibal native received second-team All-MAAC honors this week after guiding Quinnipiac to a third-place finish in the regular-season standings. The 5-foot-10 guard led the Bobcats in scoring at 12.4…
Read More‘We’ve got some dogs, man’: QU men take top-seeded Indianapolis into double OT before losing
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — An outsized and physically overmatched Quincy University men’s basketball team did everything it could on Thursday afternoon, but it couldn’t change the outcome — a gritty 79-77 double-overtime loss to top-seeded Indianapolis in the first round in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. What the Hawks did change this season, however,…
Read MoreLast-second shot doesn’t fall, but QU women earn respect by throwing scare into top-seeded Drury
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It wasn’t quite the U.S. national hockey team over the Russians in 1980, but for NCAA Division II women’s basketball, it was darned close. Nobody could even fathom the Quincy University women’s basketball team staying remotely close to Drury, ranked No. 2 nationally, in the first round of the Great Lakes…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU women nearly pull first-round shocker at GLVC Tournament
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The eighth-seeded Quincy University women’s basketball team nearly pulled off one of the biggest stunners in the history of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, falling 79-78 to top-seeded Drury in Thursday’s tourney quarterfinals. MRN Editor David Adam put together this photo gallery:
Read MorePhoto gallery: QU men lose in double overtime to top-seeded Indianapolis in GLVC quarterfinals
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The eighth-seeded Quincy University men’s basketball team took top-seeded Indianapolis to double overtime before falling 79-77 in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. MRN Editor David Adam captured these images for a photo gallery:
Read MoreCrim: Coaching, teaching basketball keeps JWCC assistant Rafferty in ‘his happy place’
QUINCY — Pat Rafferty says he will know when it’s finally time to walk away from basketball and coaching. At 72, after spending nearly a half-century with teams in high school and college gymnasiums, that time has yet to arrive. “He’s in his happy place,” John Wood Community College coach Brad Hoyt said of his…
Read MoreEmpty possessions cause headaches for Trail Blazers in two-point loss to Jaguars
QUINCY — Brad Hoyt might not sleep too soundly if he goes to bed with visions of a one-possession loss to nationally ranked Danville dancing in his head. “When you have a one-possession game, you think about all those one possessions that don’t go very well,” the John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach said.…
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