By Caleb Horvath, chorvath@qconline.com

Despite 30 turnovers and a fourth-quarter deficit of seven, the Quad City Riverhawks pulled out a thriller over the Arkansas Impact on Friday night at Wharton Field House, 109-104.

With the game tied at 104 with just under 30 seconds to go, the Riverhawks' season-leading scorer Ryan Edwards knocked down a challenged 3-pointer from the top of the key, and after a defensive stop, two Willie Mitchell free-throws iced the game.

"I actually wanted to take him to the hole," said Edwards, who had a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. "That's what they thought I was going to do, so I just shot it."

Quad City out-rebounded Arkansas 56-35, and came alive down the stretch to prevail.

"They are the second-place team in the conference, so I'm happy with the win," Hawks coach LaTroy Farrow said. "We had some defensive breakdowns, but we had great effort. It took a lot of guts when we fell behind, and we pulled it out."

The recently re-signed Lonnie Randolph had an impact for the Riverhawks (12-3), with six points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.

"What Lonnie did didn't show up in the box score, but what he gave us was contagious," Farrow said. "I thought his first half was beautiful. The second half he was a little worn out, but he's getting it back."

The Riverhawks dominated the first half, leading by as many as 19 and had 16-point halftime lead, but trailed several times in the second half. Veteran big man Willie Mitchell almost single-handedly sparked the comeback, with 17 of his team-high 27 points in the second half, including a stretch of nine straight points.

"I'm a veteran, so that's what they brought me in for," Mitchell said. "It kind of comes second-nature to me, and I was making shots and making plays."

The streaking Riverhawks now travel to Chicago for the PBL Showcase, where scouts come to check the league's talent.

"We are playing as a team, and we're making that extra pass," Farrow said. "We are getting accustomed to playing together now, and we have half a month to get more comfortable, and prove that we can win this."

Many players played a big role in the win for the Hawks, as Bobby Anderson had 21 points and 17 rebounds, as well as Quinnel Brown, who had 23 points and nine rebounds. Arkansas (7-6) was led by Tyrone Davis, who had a game-high 38 points.

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