QUINCY, Ill.— Quincy forward Viktor Kovacevic scored on a runner three feet from the basket with two seconds remaining to snap Drury’s seven-game winning streak and give the Hawks a 75-74 win on Saturday at Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois. The Panthers got off a shot at the buzzer, but Isaac Johnson’s attempt from half-court missed off of the back of the rim.
The Panthers fell to 18-8 and 11-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while Quincy improved to 13-13 and 7-11 in the league.
After trailing 33-30 at halftime, Drury started the second half on a 9-2 run and built a 12-point advantage with 11:38 remaining with a 58-46 lead. The Hawks chipped away, however, and took their first lead since in the opening moments of the half on Kovaceivc’s shot in the lane with two seconds left.
“We had control of the game in the second half, but we had a loose ball that we didn’t go after, then we missed two lay-ups, and when we were struggling to stop them, we needed to score,” said Drury head coach Steve Hesser. “They just made one more play than we did, but I’m proud of the way our guys played in the second half.”
Conley Garrison led Drury with 23 points and scored 18 of them after halftime. The junior from Bolivar did not play the last seven minutes of the first half due to foul trouble, but the Panthers battled to be within three points of the league by the intermission.
Cal Hartley added 15 points for Drury.
Tanner Stuckman led Quincy with 23 points while Charles Callier had 21, and Kovacevic finished with 15.
The Hawks went 16 for 23 at free throw line while the Panthers shot just four free throws in the game and none until the 10-minute mark of the second half. Garrison shot all four of the Panthers foul shots and made each one.
Drury went 29 for 66 from the field for 44 percent while the Hawks went 26 for 54 for a 48 percent mark from the floor.
The Panthers return home on Thursday to host William Jewell. Tipoff is at 7:45 pm at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
