(Peru, Neb.) – After falling behind in both halves of the game, the Peru State College (PSC) Bobcat men's basketball team's comeback effort in the second half fell short against Central Methodist University (CMU) on Saturday.  The home-standing Eagles prevailed 80-72 in the Puckett Field House in Fayette, Mo.
 
CMU improved to 3-7 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and 9-11 overall.  The Bobcats are still looking for their first HAAC win and are 0-11 in the conference and 1-22 for the year.
 
Game Action
 
Unfortunately, falling behind and having to come back has been what the Bobcats have had to do in most of their games this season.  Saturday's game was no different as the Eagles jumped to an early lead only to see the 'Cats claw back into it and to trail by three at halftime 40-37.
 
The second half was similar, but CMU eventually outscored PSC 40-35 in the stanza to capture the win.
 
Team Statistics
 
The Eagles managed to connect on 50.9% of their field goal attempts hitting 30 of 59.  From behind the arc, CMU was five of 18 for 27.7%.  At the free throw line, the Eagles made 15 of 22 tries for 68.2%.
 
Peru State did shoot better than CMU from long range and at the charity stripe, but were considerably cooler from the floor than the Eagles.  From three-point range, PSC made four of 14 tries for 28.6% and were 16 of 22 from the free throw line for 72.7%.  Overall, from the field, the Bobcats made 26 of 68 for 38.2%.
 
The rebounding was close as the Eagles nudged the Bobcats by one 37-36.  CMU committed 14 turnovers while the 'Cats only had ten.

GAME BOX SCORE
 
Individual Statistics
 
Three Bobcats finished in double figures and were led by Derrick Williams (St. Joseph, Mo.) who had his second 20-point-plus game of the week as Williams scored 24.  Williams added four rebounds and one assist in the loss.
 
Also scoring in double figures for the 'Cats were Eric Donald (Omaha) and Richard Oppitz (Topeka, Kan.) finishing with 16 and 12 points respectively.  Oppitz was the team's leading rebounder as he snared seven boards and also blocked on shot.  Donald had a team-high three assists.
 
KNCY Player of the Game – Eric Donald
 
With a depleted guard corps, Donald played extended minutes at the point for PSC and was selected as the KNCY Player of the Game.   In discussing the game, Donald said, “We figured out that penetrating the lane was working for me and it helped us to get a few buckets.”  As to the Bobcats' slow starts, Donald noted, “We need to work on our starts, so we need to figure out what we as team needs to do so we do not start so flat all of the time.  I've got faith in my team, but we need to get started strong in upcoming games so we can finish the season strong and get some wins.”
 
Bobcat Coach Comments
 
“We credit our guys because they continue to fight back after getting behind.  We did not have the patience that we did on Thursday night and they took advantage of our mistakes,” were some of the initial comments provided by Bobcat head coach Troy Katen following the loss to CMU.
 
Katen continued, “This is a game where I hope it becomes a little bit of a rivalry since the coaching staffs are familiar with each other and as we know their sets and they know ours.  Since they did know us, they forced us into a few more mistakes than we had the other night.” 
 
Regarding his depleted line-up of guards, Katen stated, “It did hurt us defensively as we used to running more guards at them.  When you don't have your leading shooter (Kevin Tighe) to balance out what Derrick does, it forces us to change things.  We have to have everyone to play a perfect game.”
 
On Wednesday, the Bobcats will be taking on the University of Nebraska Omaha.  Katen concluded, Playing UNO will be a fun game for us.  Recently, UNO has had some trouble with the NAIA schools this year, so it will be a great game for us to play a lot of guys to work on some things.  It should help us prepare for our game against Culver-Stockton on Saturday.”
 
Upcoming Games
 
As noted, the Bobcats will be playing NCAA Division I Mavericks Wednesday in Omaha.  Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Bobcats will be hosting Culver-Stockton College with the game scheduled to start at 4 p.m.  The Wildcats were thumped by Avila last weekend, but have their only conference win that was over the Bobcats back in December.  Gary's Tumbling of Shenandoah, Iowa, will be performing at halftime of both the women and men's games.  The Athletic Department will also be recognizing their business partners.
 
Thursday, Feb. 9, PSC will be travelling to Baldwin City, Kan., to take on Baker University at 7:30 p.m.  Then, on Saturday, Feb. 11, the Bobcats will be back at home hosting Missouri Valley College at 4 p.m.  The PSC Alumni Association will be hosting their annual chili feed during the Mo Valley game and the Athletic Department will be recognizing their fall athletes for their accomplishments.
 
All Bobcat games can be heard live on KNCY Radio 103.1 and home games can be viewed via Livestream.