(Peru, Neb.) – The Evangel University Crusaders came to Peru State College (PSC) mad after a big loss to MidAmerica Nazarene University on Thursday night and took it out on the Bobcats.
The Crusaders took a big lead early and never looked back winning the Saturday afternoon contest by going over the century mark defeating PSC 103-58.
With the win, Evangel improves to 15-6 for the season and 7-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), good for second in the conference. The 'Cats fall to 1-20 and 0-9 in the HAAC as the first round of the conference play ended.
Game Action
As has been the modus operandi for the Bobcats during many of their games this season, their opponents have jumped to an early lead and have forced the 'Cats to work their way back. Evangel jumped to an 8-0 advantage before Derrick Williams
(St. Joseph, Mo.) hit a three-pointer at the 16:42 mark to get PSC on the scoreboard. Another bucket by Williams cut it to a three-point advantage for the Crusaders at 8-5, but that is as close as the Bobcats would be in the ballgame.
Evangel would outscore the 'Cats over the next twelve minutes 35-18 to take their largest lead of the half at 43-21 with 4:24 left in the first stanza.
The Bobcats did cut into the Evangel lead before halftime making a 11-4 run giving the Crusaders a 15-point cushion at 47-32 after the first twenty minutes.
The Crusaders came out in the second half and scored the first 14 points in about four minutes to take a 61-32 lead. Andre Wells
(Colorado Springs) made two free throws to score the first Bobcat points of the half cutting it to a 27-point deficit.
Peru State would never get any closer as the Crusaders continued to increase their lead while cruising to their fifteenth win of the season.
Team Statistics
Evangel was smoking from the field hitting 39 of 64 field goal tries for 60.9% including a remarkable 59.1% from behind the arc making 13 of 22. The Crusaders made 12 of 15 free throws for 80%.
The Bobcats hit 35.7% of their field goals making 20 of 56 and made five of 17 for 29.4%. The woes for the 'Cats continue at the free throw line as PSC made only 13 of 24 for 54.2%.
The Crusaders had a huge advantage in rebounding grabbing 37 compared to PSC's 21. Peru State committed 20 turnovers while Evangel made 16 miscues. Evangel out-blocked the Bobcats 6-3.
GAME BOX SCORE
Individual Statistics
Williams finished as the only Bobcat in double figures as he scored 12. Connor Smith
(Lincoln) and Patrick Riley
(Kansas City, Mo.) each had eight points with freshman Brady Kreitzer
(Kansas City, Mo.) coming off the bench to add seven points. Jacob Schaben
(Defiance, Iowa) led the team in rebounding with six.
KNCY Player of the Game – Brady Kreitzer
After coming off the bench and getting seven points in a reserve role, Kreitzer was named the KNCY Player of the Game. In discussing the big loss with KNCY broadcaster, Dave Brock, Kreitzer said, “We are just one step away, but we are at the top of the hill and are just trying to get over the hill to get a win. Really that is all we need is to do is to get over the hump. If we can cut back on turnovers and make some free throws, we will be in games. On Monday, we will get back into the gym and try to get it done.”
Bobcat Head Coach Comments
In discussing the game with Brock, Bobcat head coach Troy Katen said, “That is a great team and that is the reason why they are in the top 15. They have a great tradition. They may have some players not doing their usual, but then they have others come off the bus and step up.”
Katen continued, “They came out and punched us on the nose and we did not respond well. We have had several of those games when we have dropped behind early, but tonight, we did not respond. Our guys were well-prepared, but we need to make better on the floor changes and during timeouts in order to beat a caliber team like Evangel. We just did not execute the parts of the scouting report that we need to do in order to win. We did not do the things offensively that we told them we would have to do off the scouting report.”
In conclusion, Katen added, “One good thing about the game next Thursday is that MidAmerica is coming here. As a staff, we are going to have to be more detailed and get things more fine-tuned. This is the tough part of the season and we will be positive about what lies ahead.”
Upcoming Games
On Jan. 26, PSC will be at home hosting the league leaders, MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers. The Pioneers won their fourth straight and are presently 8-1 in the HAAC and 14-7 overall. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The women and men's doubleheader will be Staff Appreciation Night for Peru State College employees.
Then, on Saturday, Jan. 28, will find the 'Cats travelling to Fayette, Mo., to play the Central Methodist University Eagles. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
All Bobcat games can be heard live on KNCY 103.1 Country Radio. Bobcat fans can now listen to Bobcat basketball on their mobile devices by clicking on the Live Audio link on either the women or men's schedules at pscbobcats.com. This is not an app, but rather a link through the internet. In addition, all home games are now available via
Livestream that can be accessed by linking to the Live Audio button on the same schedule.
