SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Lady Panthers downed Quincy 64-56 on Thursday evening for the program's 200th win in the O'Reilly Family Event Center.
 
The opening minute of the game was sloppy for both sides, with a total of five turnovers in the opening 60 seconds. Once both teams settled in, Drury scored the first five points of the game courtesy of Sara Mendel and Sage Stratton. The lead would reach five points, 7-2, before Quincy battled back.
 
The Hawks' late-quarter effort was not enough to lead after the first, and the Lady Panthers held an edge 16-12.
 
Quincy opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 21-18 lead, with five points coming from Karly Peters in the first three and a half minutes. The Lady Panthers would regain the lead shortly, but enter the break tied at 26.
 
Out of intermission, the Lady Panthers would take command of the game with a 10-4 run in the first four minutes of the second half. A 22-point third quarter grew their lead to ten entering the fourth quarter, 48-38.
 
Drury kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter, moving their advantage to 16 points just two minutes into the quarter on a Jazz Gray fastbreak layup. The layup from Gray flipped a switch for the Hawks. Following the make from Gray, Quincy went on a 9-0 run up to the media timeout, cutting the Lady Panther lead to seven, 54-47.
 
The lead built up for Drury was crucial down the stretch. In the final five minutes, Drury and Quincy traded blows with the Lady Panthers winning the final five 10-9, and the Lady Panthers winning the battle 64-56.
 
GAME NOTES

• The Lady Panthers improved to 12-2 in GLVC play, still one game behind UMSL (13-1) after the Tritons' 64-51 victory against Indianapolis.
• Drury grows their win streak to six games.
• It was the Lady Panthers' 200th win at the O'Reilly Family Event Center. Drury is now 200-23 in the last 16 seasons at home.
• In games decided by less than ten points this season, the Lady Panthers are 9-4.
• Quincy won the rebound battle 32 to 29. Despite the difference in total rebounds, the Lady Panthers outrebounded the Hawks on the offensive end, nine to eight.
• There was a total of 21 turnovers in the first half. The game ended with 33. 14 from Drury.
• Drury recorded eight steals in the win, their most since the Illinois Springfield game, January 22.
• The Lady Panthers scored 25 points off of Quincy turnovers and 18 on the fast break.
• Drury was 22-for-55 from the field and 3-for-12 from the three-point line.
• Drury shot 78.9% from the free-throw line on 19 attempts. The Lady Panthers are now 11-0 when shooting 70% or greater from the charity stripe this season.
• Quincy only attempted ten free throws in the game, making four.
• For the first time this season, Drury entered the half tied. The Lady Panthers entered the fourth quarter with the lead for the 12th time this season, now 11-1.
• Sara Mendel recorded her fourth 20-point double-double of the season. She had a 21-point, 10-rebound performance. She entered the second half with only one rebound.
• It is Mendel's 15th double-double of the season. She is now second all-time in Drury history in single-season double-doubles, only three behind tying Reese Schaaf's 2023-24 season.
• During the game, Mendel recorded the 700th point of her career on her 300th of the season.
• A 9-for-11 shooting game for Mendel improved her season shooting percentage to 67%.
• Rhi Gibbons extended her double-figure scoring streak to 25 consecutive games with 13 points against Quincy.
• With Gibbons' tenth point of the game, she eclipsed 800 career points.
• A 0-for-5 first half for Kaylee King was followed by a 3-for-3 second half.
• Making four free throws in the game, King extended her made free throw streak to 26.
• Gibbons and Mendel started their 50th consecutive game.
• The starting lineup of Kaylee King, Rhi Gibbons, Jazz Gray, Sage Stratton, and Sara Mendel is now 7-0 this season.
• Karly Peters led Quincy with 14 points on 14 field goal attempts.
• Hayven Harden went 5-for-5 in the game to improve her season field goal percentage to 70.4%.
• The loss ended a three-game winning streak for Quincy.
• The Lady Panthers are 29-11 all-time against Quincy now.
• Kaci Bailey is 5-2 against her former team.
• Bailey is now 13-3 in the month of February as the Lady Panthers head coach.

 
QUOTABLE
"I am proud of Sara," coach Kaci Bailey said postgame, "She has battled with Chomp (Danso) for the last two seasons and was successful tonight. Sara gave us that spark in the second half, and Jazz Gray did a great job pressuring zero (Karly Peters)."
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Panthers are back in The O' for the Drury Homecoming and Scarlet and Gray game against Truman State on Saturday at 1 pm.
 
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