An old-fashioned three-point play by Donald cut it to 55-52 with a little under nine minutes left in the contest.
Peru State fouled on the next possession and the Wildcats converted on one charity try giving them a four-point lead. The next time down the court, the Bobcats cut it to 56-54 on a field goal by Connor Smith
Off a Wildcat turnover, PSC was not able to capitalize and after a C-SC rebound, the Wildcats scored stretching their lead to four at 58-54.
Williams made one of two free throws making it 58-55, but the Wildcats came back with a bucket going back on top by five at 60-55. Two more Williams' free throws cut it to three, but Williams fouled on the next C-SC possession and both were made making it 62-57 Wildcats.
Riley got the 'Cats back within three as he made a fast-break layup off the assist from Pierce with 4:46 left in the game. Following an offensive foul on Culver-Stockton, Oppitz put back in his offensive rebound cutting it to a one-point Wildcat lead at 62-61 with 3:34 left.
Following a Wildcat turnover and a timeout, Donald drained a three to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 64-62 with just over three minutes left. The Wildcats quickly came down the court and tied it back up at 64 each.
After grabbing a defensive rebound, the 'Cats came down the court and Oppitz grabbed another offensive rebound and stuck it back in. Oppitz was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw. However, PSC was still on top at 66-64.
A Bobcat foul allowed C-SC to get within one as they hit the second of two tries. With 1:28 left in the game, PSC led 66-65 and had the ball out of the timeout.
Getting the ball back after a PSC shot was blocked proved to be a good thing for Peru State as Donald hit another trey giving the 'Cats their largest lead of the game at 69-65 with one minute left.
A missed Wildcat shot was rebounded by Williams who went to the line following a timeout with 21.7 left and made both putting PSC up 71-65. A C-SC turnover gave the ball back to PSC and after the inbound pass; Riley was fouled with 12.4 remaining. Riley hit both putting PSC up 73-65.
Culver-Stockton hit a three at the end of the game, but it was for naught as PSC won their first HAAC game of the year at 73-68.
Team Statistics
Even though the 'Cats won the game, they were outshot by Culver-Stockton from the floor. The Wildcats made 25 of 52 tries for 48.1% and were eight of 19 from behind the arc for 42.1%. C-SC was a little lower in the free throw percentage than PSC as they made ten of 16 for 62.5%.
For the game, PSC was 24 of 54 from the field for 44.4% and made six of 16 treys for 37.5%. At the charity stripe, PSC was 19 of 27 for 70.4%.
The Bobcats out-rebounded the visitors 32-29 and forced 20 C-SC turnovers while only committing 13.
GAME BOX SCORE
Individual Statistics
Williams finished with a double-double scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 boards. His 26 points was a game-high while his 11 caroms were a team-high effort. Williams also had two steals, two assists, and one block.
Donald was the only other Bobcat finishing in double figures as he totaled 12 points that included hitting three of four treys. In addition, Donald had three steals and two rebounds.
Schaben finished with eight points and four boards while Oppitz's seven rebounds were key as he turned a couple of his offensive rebounds into points for PSC.
KNCY Player of the Game – Derrick Williams
For his double-double effort of 26 points and 11 rebounds, Williams was named the KNCY Player of the Game. Williams said, “We just came out the second half and played hard. At halftime, we said we had to make a run of it if we wanted to get the win. We just locked them down defensively and it actually helped our offense in the second half. All of our guys played well, especially Rich, as he got some key offensive rebounds and put them back in. We will enjoy this a little, but we will get ready for Baker next week.”
Bobcat Head Coach Comments
Wearing his “Great Gatsby Gangster Suit,” Coach Katen was obviously pleased with the win. Katen said, “We tried to tell the guys that we were going to have to battle and we reemphasized that at halftime. We made some crucial plays offensively which were executed perfectly, which we had not done in the past.”
Discussing the opening of the second half, Katen said, “The seven-point run in the second half was crucial for us getting back into the game. Later, we played well defensively and were able to get several runs to get us back into the game. Our full court press after free throws was a big key for us causing turnovers.”
Katen noted that several adjustments were made at halftime. He added, “We told the players that we had to be a lot more aggressive. In addition, we were able cause some turnovers by doing a better job of trapping them. We forced many turnovers that we were able to capitalize on.”
“We had some early foul trouble, but other guys stepped up for us coming in for some of the starters. There is a lot of stuff you don't hear on the radio which still proved to be crucial, especially with some of the guys who came in and really helped us with one or two possessions,” Katen continued.
Regarding his attire for the game, Katen said, “Well, this suit has been in the closet and I decided to bring it out. Apparently, it was a hit and the guys said I will have to wear it again. And no, “I was not watching any gangster movies last night, but if it works I will wear it again.”
Katen concluded, “We will take a day or two off and then get ready for Baker. We have a couple of guys banged up, so they need to heal up. We will get back at it, and then get ready for Thursday night.”
Upcoming Games
On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Bobcats will be travelling to Baldwin City, Kan., to take on the Baker University Wildcats. The HAAC game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
Next Saturday, Feb. 11, Peru State will be at home hosting the Missouri Valley College Vikings in a HAAC game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the PSC National Alumni Association will be hosting its annual chili feed that will begin at halftime of the women's game. During the halftime of the men's game, the Athletic Department will be recognizing the fall student-athletes who earned honors, both on the field and in the classroom.
The following Thursday, Feb. 16, PSC will again be at home hosting the Benedictine College Ravens at 7:30 p.m.
