GLVCMen:

The semifinal slate for the 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament has been set for Saturday, following four quarterfinal games on Thursday at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.

In the opening game of the tournament, No. 1 Bellarmine University defeated No. 8 University of Indianapolis 76-73. Defensive Player of the Year George Suggs turned on his offensive prowess to lead the Knights with 25 points on 8-of-11 (72.7%) shooting.

The second game of the first session saw No. 5 Lewis University earn the first upset of the tournament with a 92-89 overtime win over No. 4 University of Indianapolis. Max Strus tallied 25 points, grabbed six boards, dished five helpers and had three steals to help the Flyers to close it out.

With the wins, Bellarmine and Lewis advance to face each other in the first semifinal matchup Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

In the evening session, No. 7 Quincy University followed Lewis’ lead with an even bigger upset, besting the defending champions and No. 2 seed Drury University, 107-99 in overtime. The Hawks’ point total was the second highest in a league tournament behind former member Kentucky Wesleyan’s 111-70 win past then-member Northern Kentucky in the 1998-99 postseason event. It was also the seventh time a team has reached the 100-point mark in a tournament game. Additionally, Quincy is the lowest seed to advance to the semifinals since a No. 4W (7/8) seed Lewis made the title game appearance in 2008. Prior to that, No. 7 University of Wisconsin-Parkside advanced to the semifinals in 2002.

Since 1998, 15 tournament games have been contested with just nine matchups needing overtime to determine a winner. The two that went long tonight ties a record for most overtime games in a single tournament. A quarterfinal and the championship final needed OT in 2008, while a quarterfinal and semifinal went to overtime in 2015.

No. 3 UW-Parkside pulled away late for a 77-62 defeat of No. 6 Truman State to close out the busy day of quarterfinal action. Taking the reigns was Kyle Flanagan who scored 18 with an impressive 81.8% (9-for-11) clip from the floor, adding nine rebounds.

Quincy and UWP will battle for a spot in the title tilt with a meeting at 8:30 p.m. CT Saturday in the second semifinal contest.

Semifinal winners will advance to Sunday’s championship game at 3:30 p.m. CT.

 

Women:

The semifinal slate for the 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament has been set for Saturday, following victories for seeds 1-4 after quarterfinal action on Thursday at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri.

In the opening game of the tournament, No. 3 Bellarmine University defeated No. 6 Saint Joseph’s College 59-52. Sarah Galvin led the Knights with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

The second game of the first session saw No. 2 Drury University beat No. 7 Rockhurst University 87-55. Annie Armstrong scored a game-high 16 points and added seven rebounds as the Panthers had the hot hand, shooting 56.3% from the field and 48.1% from behind the three-point line.

With the wins, Bellarmine and Drury advance to face each other in the first semifinal matchup Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.

In the evening session, No. 4 Quincy University opened with a 62-49 win past No. 5 Truman State University on the shoulders of Maggie Cunningham’s game-high 17 points. She added eight rebounds, six assists and two steals for the Hawks.

Top-seeded Lewis University survived an overtime scare from No. 8 University of Indianapolis, 69-63, to close out the busy day of quarterfinal action. GLVC Player of the Year Mariyah Brawner-Henley turned it on after halftime, scoring 25 of her team-high 27 points for the Flyers, while adding 10 rebounds for her 20th double-double of the season.

Quincy and Lewis will battle for a spot in the title tilt with a meeting at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in the second semifinal contest.

Semifinal winners will advance to Sunday’s championship game at 3:30 p.m. CT.