QUINCY, Ill.— Senior Emily Parker, playing in the final regular season game of her collegiate career, scored a career-high 30 points and helped Drury to a 93-74 win over Quincy on Saturday in Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Illinois.
The win clinched first place overall for the Lady Panthers, and home-court advantage throughout the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament as Drury will head to the postseason with a 17-1 record.
Quincy finished the year 2-18.
The Hawks hung with Drury for three quarters rallying from eight down at the half, and 16 behind in the third quarter, to pull within four points of the lead, 69-65, in the last minute of the third period.
The Lady Panthers then outscored Quincy 21-7 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Parker’s career-high 30 points came on 12 for 19 shooting from the field. The senior from Aurora, Missouri, went 5 for 5 at the free-throw line and made the only three-pointer she attempted.
“Emily put us on her back today,” said Drury head coach Amy Eagan. “You expect that from a senior – to be able to step up when we need it, and she did a lot more than just score for us today.”
Parker also chipped in with four assists and a steal.
“I told the team in our locker room after the game that I was really, really proud of them,” added Eagan. “We just played four games in seven days, and in three of those games, we held our opponent to under 60 points. We were a little tired today, but a lot of credit goes to Quincy to how well they shot it and how hard they played.”
Paige Robinson added 20 points for Drury and had six assists, while Katie Kirkhart scored a season-high 18 points with six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Jazzpher Evans led Quincy with 16 points.
The win marked the 33rd straight road victory for Drury and is the longest current road winning streak in Division II women’s basketball.
The Lady Panthers will advance to the GLVC tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday and will host Indianapolis at 6 pm in the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Should Drury win, they will host both semifinal games on Saturday, March 6, and the GLVC Championship on Sunday, March 7.
