Box Score Rockhurst's season ended with a first-round loss at Drury in the 2017 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. The ninth-seeded Hawks fell to the eighth-seeded Panthers, 97-76, Sunday in Springfield, Mo.

"I was hoping to make a bigger jump on improving from last year," said Rockhurst coach Drew Diener, who guided the Hawks to a 14-13 record in his second season after winning 12 games in his first year.

Rockhurst shot 42.6 percent from the field (26 of 61), while Drury shot 66.0 percent from the field (33 of 50). Both teams made 11 three-point shots.

"We don't defend at a high enough level to make that next step as a program," Diener said. "Today was another game that they shot a very high percentage. It's tough to beat anyone when they shoot such a high percentage. We ended the year below my expectations from a field-goal defense perspective."

Drury took a 43-34 lead into halftime behind 70.8 percent shooting. The Hawks cut Drury's lead to six points, 51-45, with 15:07 left in the game. The Panthers proceeded to go on a 23-6 run over the next eight minutes to take a 74-51 lead.

Connor Evans led the Hawks with 13 points and four rebounds. Kaleb Warner posted 12 points and two steals. Malachi Nix collected 10 points and four assists. Mason Loewen tallied 10 points and four rebounds. Alex Hagan and Andrew Ellwanger combined for 10 rebounds.

"Our two seniors have given us a lot of heart over my two years," Diener added. "We are building a culture, and they helped in doing that. It's always tough to say goodbye to guys you enjoy seeing at practice every day."