(Peru, Neb.) – It was a tale of two halves in the Peru State College (PSC) versus Park University men's basketball game.  The Bobcats won the first half, but a second-half outburst by the Pirates gave Park the 77-67 win.
 
With the win, Park improved to 6-7, stopping a three-game skid.  The 'Cats fell to 1-9, now having lost two in a row before preparing for their first Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) play on Thursday night.
 
The Bobcats began the game with a 7-2 scoring run and took a 28-19 lead with about six minutes remaining in the first half.  This lead came on a 15-4 run after Park had led 16-13.  At the break, the Bobcats had a 35-29 lead.
 
Park opened the second half with a 10-2 run making it 39-37 with 16:44 left in the game.  Over the next four minutes, the Pirates extended their lead to seven going up 52-45 with 12:41 on the clock.
 
The fight in the Bobcats was not over though as they put together an eight-point burst to go on top 53-52 with a little over ten minutes remaining.  After two ties at 53-53 and 54-54, Park got a three with 8:32 to go ahead and never trailed after that point.  The 'Cats cut the lead to four at 66-62 with three minutes left, but Park finished with a 11-5 run to close out the victory.
 
Team Statistics
 
The Pirates outshot the Bobcats in all aspects Tuesday night.  From the field, PSC shot 40% making 26 of 65 attempts, but was well below their three-point shooting average making only three of 16 tries for 18.8%.  The Bobcats also struggled at the free throw line canning only 12 of 27 charity attempts for 44.4%.  The Pirates hit 58.1% from the floor hitting 25 of 43 tries while making seven of 14 from behind the arc for 50%.  On the free throw line, Park made 20 of 37 tries for 54.1%.
 
Rebounding was dead even at 36 each.  Park committed more turnovers than PSC as they committed 21 errors compared to 13 for the 'Cats.  The Pirates did block six Bobcat field goal attempts.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Derrick Williams (St. Joseph, Mo.) had a game-high 27 points to lead Peru State.  Williams also had four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
 
The only other Bobcat in double figures was Andre Wells (Colorado Springs, Colo.).  Wells finished with ten points, grabbed three rebounds, and added two steals and two assists while playing in only 11 minutes before fouling out.  Blake Steagall (Lake Tapawingo, Mo.) finished with a team-high eight rebounds and contributed six points.

Game Box Score
 
KNCY Player of the Game Comments
 
After playing his most minutes of the year and having a team-high rebounding effort, Steagall was selected as the KNCY Player of the Game.  Following the game, Steagall said, “We played very well and loose the first half.  In the second half, all of us bigs got into some foul trouble that sent them to the line.  Then, when we got to the line, we were cold.”  In talking about the upcoming HAAC games, Steagall added, “We will need to play our best ball, and if we do play our game and execute, we could get a win against MNU (MidAmerica Nazarene University).”


Coach Katen Comments
 
Obviously, Bobcat head coach Troy Katen was disappointed with the loss.  Katen stated in his post-game comments, “After playing a good first half, we again found a way to make a so-so shooting team look good in the second half.  We dominated in the first half, but came out somewhat lackadaisical at the start of the second half and allowed them to shoot several threes uncontested.  Plus, Park played much more aggressive in the second twenty minutes.”  Katen continued, “We executed our game plan in the first half allowing Park to get to just get one shot.” 
 
In discussing the upcoming games, Katen added, “It is not a case of us getting there.  We are there.  However, we just need to execute our game for a full game, especially in the second half.  Our bigs played well the first half, but got into trouble in the second, forcing us to do some different things.   We did come back, but we just can't let a team get another big run to retake the lead.”
 
Upcoming Games
 
On Thursday, Dec. 1, the Bobcats will begin their HAAC play as they travel to Olathe, Kan., to take on the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers.  Game time for the men is approximately 7:30 p.m. which will follow the women's game which begins at 5:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, Dec. 3, PSC will be at home with both the men and women's teams hosting the visiting Central Methodist University Eagles.  The women's game will begin at 2 p.m. with the men playing approximately two hours later.