The teams traded scoring throughout the next five minutes with MVC getting as close as five on several occasions. Williams and Oppitz each hit one of two free throws giving PSC a 57-51 lead with just under five minutes left in the game.
Two free throws by MVC made it 57-53, the smallest lead for the 'Cats at that point in the second half with 4:26 remaining. After a Bobcat miss, MVC called a timeout to set up a play. It was a good timeout as the Vikings scored cutting it to two at 57-55 with 3:19 left.
The Bobcats were able to counter as Riley hit a bucket in the paint with 2:48 left making it PSC 59-55. Following a defensive rebound by Oppitz, the Vikings fouled Oppitz, and the teams walked to the Peru end of the court. Oppitz sank both free throws giving PSC a six-point cushion at 61-55 with 1:55 remaining.
MVC was fouled on their possession and sunk both cutting it to 61-57 at the 1:46 mark. An offensive foul on the 'Cats gave the ball back to the Vikings and they went down the court draining a three getting the game within one at 61-60 with 69 seconds left in the game.
A Viking foul put Schaben at the line where he made both putting PSC back on top at 63-60. On the next MVC possession, the Vikings missed and Pierce, the smallest guy on the court, grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. Pierce made the first, missed the second, but Williams grabbed the offensive rebound and got back to Pierce who was fouled again. This time Pierce canned both giving PSC a 66-60 lead with 40 ticks left on the clock.
Peru State called a timeout to slow things down and set up their defensive plans. It worked as Mo Valley missed a three-point try with Williams grabbing the rebound and was immediately fouled. Unfortunately, Williams missed both giving MVC a shot to stay in the game.
An offensive rebound by the Vikings was put back up and in making it 66-62 with 17.6 seconds left. Another foul was called on Mo Valley and Williams hit both making it 68-62 with 15 seconds remaining.
Mo Valley responded the next time down the court with a trey cutting to 68-65 with eight ticks left on the clock.
On the inbounds pass, Pierce was quickly fouled and went to the free throw line to shoot two. Pierce missed the first, but made the second giving PSC a four-point advantage at 69-65 with 6.5 left.
A Bobcat foul put Mo Valley at the line and they hit one making it 69-66 with 2.5 seconds remaining. Immediately, Smith was fouled putting PSC at the line for two. Smith hit both giving PSC a 71-66 lead and that score proved to be the final score for the game.
Team Statistics
Peru State made 21 of 50 field goal attempts for 42%, which included three of 12 from three-point range for 25%. While they made their free throws at the end to seal the win, PSC struggled making 26 of 44 for 59.1%.
The Vikings hit 38.6% of their field goals making 22 of 57 tries. From behind the arc, Mo Valley was six of 19 for 31.6%. In their 23 trips to the charity stripe, the Vikings made 16 for 69.6%.
The Bobcats won the rebounding battle grabbing 32 caroms compared to MVC's 24. PSC committed 16 turnovers while the Vikings had 14 miscues.
GAME BOX SCORE
Individual Statistics
Williams led all scorers with 23 points. In addition, Williams grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals.
Schaben was the only other Bobcat to finish in double figures as he had 13 points. Also, Schaben had six boards and one blocked shot.
The leading rebounder in the game was Oppitz as he grabbed nine caroms to lead both teams. Oppitz finished with seven points and blocked two MVC shots.
KNCY Player of the Game – Jacob Schaben
After having another steady performance, Schaben was the KNCY Player of the Game for the second game in a row. Schaben was pleased with his team's effort and said, “Everyone came out and played hard tonight. It was another physical game as they were pushing us. But, we had to stick with them and did so tonight, much better than on Thursday. It was a good effort by the entire team.”
In conclusion, Schaben said the Bobcats would be ready for their upcoming games with Benedictine and then Avila.
Bobcat Head Coach Comments
After capturing their second conference win, Bobcat head coach Troy Katen was pleased with his team's performance. Katen stated, “This was one of the most complete games we have played of the year. As to the suit, as much as I have got flack for it, I guess I am going to have to wear it. With the suit and the ghost of Al Wheeler, I might have to change some things and continue to wear the “Great Gatsby” attire.”
“I guess we made it over the hump tonight. We did a great job of killing the Mo Valley runs each time, which was key. As coaches, we were happy to get into the bonus at the free throw line early in the second half. Even though we did not shoot very well, we were at least able to keep it going and maintain the lead,” continued Katen.
Discussing the technical fouls on Eric Donald and his missing the next game, Katen added, “We had guys step up in the absence of Donald who made a freshman mistake. It is something that is a learning experience for Eric, but we still had the guys step up and do the job.”
Noting the physical play by Brett Pierce, Katen said, “We had a little fear after Brett went down hard as he got up and looked a little dazed. The trainers checked him over and said he was okay. Brett came back and stepped up and then, we finished the game by committee with the guards. With the rotation of our guards, our play did not drop, especially on the defensive end. Our bigs played better today and they still are improving.”
When asked about the free throw shooting, Katen commented, “Free throws – we shot well in first half, but we struggled in the second half, but we did hit them at crucial times late in the game.”
In conclusion, Katen talked about the upcoming game with Benedictine by saying, “They are playing really well right now, but we are playing better, too. I will probably break out the same suit and bring Al Wheeler's ghost, but everyone knows in the conference that we are playing better. We just have to keep that mentality going. We are one step closer to getting into post-season play.”
Upcoming Games
The Bobcats have four games left on the regular-season schedule. Most likely to get into the HAAC post-season tourney, PSC will need to win at least three of four remaining games.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Bobcats will host the Ravens of Benedictine College starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. The following Saturday, Feb. 18, PSC will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to face Avila University at 4 p.m.
The final week of regular-season play will see the 'Cats facing Graceland University at home on Thursday, Feb. 23, at approximately 7:30 p.m. The final regular season game for the Bobcats will be on the road when they travel to Springfield, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 25, to play Evangel University.
All Bobcat games can be heard live on KNCY Country Radio 103.1 by linking to the PSC schedule on the athletic website at pscbobcats.com. In addition, for home games, Livestream is available for those who cannot attend the game.
