QUINCY, ILL. – Iowa Wesleyan College came back from a 14-point second half deficit to send the game into overtime, but the Tigers ran out of gas in the extra period and lost a 106-99 decision to Quincy (Ill.) University Friday night at the Quincy/Subway Tipoff Tournament.
Wesleyan nearly came up with a huge road win before finally going down against the Hawks, ranked 24th in NCAA Division II. IWC had four players score 20 or more points but dropped to 2-3 overall, with its second straight game losing to a ranked opponent.
The Tigers trailed by 14 points with 6:50 left in the game and still trailed by 10 points with 1:25 remaining. IWC scored the final 10 points of regulation, though, taking advantage of some missed free throws and turnovers by Quincy (2-0) to cut into the margin, and then getting the tying basket with a three-pointer by Melanie McCreight (Jr.-Winfield, Iowa) with 10 seconds left in regulation.
Wesleyan was unable to carry the momentum into overtime, as Quincy came out on fire. After missing its first shot, the Hawks made six straight shots and then hit eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to hold on in a high-scoring extra period.
The Tigers trailed by 10 with 32 seconds left in the overtime but tried to come back one more time, with McCreight and Jill Ginder (Jr.-Olney, Ill.) both hitting three-pointers to make it 103-99 with 19 seconds left. The Hawks split one of two free throws, but IWC turned the ball over and Quincy closed out with two more foul shots for the final margin.
The Tigers held a small lead most of the first half before the Hawks finished with six straight points to take a 41-37 halftime lead. Iowa Wesleyan hammered Quincy on the boards in the first 20 minutes with a 26-18 rebounding edge and finished the game with a hefty 54-41 rebounding margin.
Jessi Beachey (Jr.-Fisher, Ill.) had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tigers. McCreight, Ginder and Sheray Brown (Jr.-Detroit, Mich.) all finished with 20 points, with Brown and Ginder both having eight rebounds and Ginder posting a team-high five assists.
IWC shot 43.6% for the game, making 34 of 78 shots. The Tigers also made 21 of 25 free throws (88.0%) but had 32 turnovers to 20 for Quincy. Lindsey Stellflue led six Hawk players in double figures with 24 points.
The Tigers will face Maryville (Mo.) University in the tournament’s consolation game on Saturday at 3 p.m. Quincy will host SW Baptist (Mo.) University in the championship game immediately following. SW Baptist defeated Maryville 87-79 in Friday’s first game of the tourney.
Box score #24 Quincy 106 IWC 99 (OT)
