QU Review — Illinois-Springfield 63, QU men 62

The Hawks hopes for a Senior Night victory were dashed when time ran out on them at Pepsi Arena.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s stars:

1. Justin Brock

It looked for a second like the senior may be the hero again for QU. Ryan Stuckman missed a short jumper, and Brock had two great looks at tip-ins, but couldn’t get either to fall. By the time his third tip went in, the buzzer had sounded. He was shut out in the first half by UIS, but came back to finish with 15 points and eight rebounds.

2. Courtney Belger

The Hawks’ other senior to be honored also had nothing to be ashamed of as Belger played one of his best games of the season. He had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. He made several big plays down the stretch when the Hawks really needed it.

3. Jermaine Love-Roberts

The guy with one of the best names in the GLVC showed a game to match it. He scored the Prairie Stars’ final nine points of the game after center Michael Fakaude fouled out. Love-Roberts’ jumper with 50 seconds left to play proved to be the game-winning shot. He finished with 19 points to lead all scorers.

DOBservations

I finally figured out why Belger is such a lover of basketball shoes — he always has the best kicks. His mother, Darlease, works at a shoe store. Darlease, Courtney’s dad, Bryant, and his little brother, Treshaun, were all sporting sweet-looking Air Jordans. … Marshawn Norris is on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon. He’s the first person in Quincy who I’ve seen wearing a Lin shirt. … Injured senior Tyler Thompson once again won best dressed award for his willingness to wear a bow tie. … The loss damages QU’s hopes of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. QU had just entered the region rankings at No. 8 this week. … The Hawks are the No. 8 seed in the GLVC Tournament and will play a 2 p.m. Sunday game against Drury at Pepsi Arena. The teams split their season series with each team winning on its home court.