By THE HERALD-WHIG STAFF

INDIANAPOLIS -- There couldn't have been a worse time for the Quincy University women's basketball team to have its worst offensive showing of the season.

The Lady Hawks failed to score at least 50 points for the first time and made just 4 of 25 3-point attempts in a 61-48 loss to Indianapolis in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at Nicoson Hall.

"When you don't shoot the ball well, a lot of things can go wrong," Quincy coach JD Gravina said.

Namely, it leaves the Lady Hawks in limbo.

Quincy (19-9) was ranked sixth in the last NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region rankings but had enhanced its postseason resume by beating top-ranked Drury last Saturday. However, the Lady Hawks have to be concerned how the tournament selection committee will view this latest loss.

The top eight teams in the region rankings are invited to the NCAA Tournament.

"We gave ourselves, not the chance to be cheated, but the chance to be kicked out if something unexpected happens in one of the (conference) tournaments," Gravina said.

Still, the Lady Hawks have a chance to continue playing, so after a couple of days off, they'll get back in the gym in case they receive an at-large bid.

"It's kind of an awkward feeling not knowing if your season is over," Gravina said. "It's a good feeling knowing we still have a chance to get in."

Especially after the way the Lady Hawks played offensively.

QU made just one of its first eight shots, fell behind by as many as eight points and scored only six points midway through the first half. Overall, the Lady Hawks went 2 of 14 from 3-point range and scored just 23 first-half points, collecting just two offensive rebounds and three second-chance points.

"We weren't getting any second looks," Gravina said. "If you get some of those, it takes pressure off the shooters."

Instead, the shooters started pressing.

"We had the right idea of trying to get to the basket," Gravina said. "We just didn't go about it the right way."

The Lady Hawks did nothing to pull the defense out. QU's top 3-point shooters -- Lindsay Stellflue, Janette Burgin and Alex Roznowski had combined for 117 treys this season -- were 3 of 15 from behind the arc.

"The more shots we missed, the more they sagged off in the lane," Gravina said.

Worse yet, the Lady Hawks' leading scorer, Jessica Keller, went 0 for 4 from 3-point range, including airballing an attempt with 1 minute, 41 seconds to play in regulation and QU trailing by eight.

It epitomized Keller's night. She finished with just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, snapping a streak of 23 straight games in double figures. She went to the free-throw line just four times.

"They made up their mind they were going to stop her," Gravina said. "Every time she touched the ball, literally, the other four people yelled, 'Help, help, help,' in unison."

Still, the Lady Hawks kept it close throughout the second half.

After trimming a 14-point deficit to six by halftime, QU couldn't get any closer. Only once, though, did Indianapolis extend its lead to as many as 14.

"We hung around forever," Gravina said.

Credit QU's defense for that.

Indianapolis shot just 31.5 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from 3-point range, but the Greyhounds dominated the glass by outrebounding the Lady Hawks 55-36 as Samantha Meissel finished with 11 boards and 16 points.

"I thought a couple shots might fall and get us going," Gravina said. "It just never happened."

-- sports@whig.com/221-3365