It was another game that was the tale of two halves for the Peru State College (PSC) Bobcat men's basketball team. After leading at halftime and still leading with just over ten minutes to go in the game, Peru State faltered down the stretch and lost to the visiting Central Methodist University (CMU) Eagles by a score of 73-62.
With the loss, Peru State falls to 9-13 overall and 2-9 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). This keeps the Bobcats in an eighth-place tie with Avila University and Graceland University in the ten-team league. Avila holds the tiebreaker at this point as they defeated PSC earlier in the season.
The Eagles improved to 13-10 overall and 6-5 in the HAAC. CMU is tied for fifth with Baker University in the conference.
Game Action
The Eagles scored first, but
Jacob Schaben (Defiance, Iowa) tied it up as he grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in for PSC.
CMU scored the next five points to go up 7-2 before
Kody Kirkpatrick (Loami, Ill.) hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two at 7-5 with 16:23 left in the first half. Another Eagle bucket was followed by another Kirkpatrick trey getting PSC back within one at 9-8 with 15:58 remaining in the first 20 minutes.
Later, a field goal by
Andre Wells (Colorado Springs) knotted the score at 17-17 with 11:18 to go in the first stanza. Peru State took their first lead on their next possession when
Richard Oppitz (Topeka, Kan.) got a basket on the assist from
Derrick Williams (St. Joseph, Mo.). Another bucket by Wells, on the assist from
Nate Bohy (Mesa, Ariz.) gave PSC a 21-17 lead with 8:37 left in the half.
Two Wells' free throws made it 23-17; Peru State's largest lead to that point, with 8:14 remaining. Two minutes later a three-point bucket by
Justin Jones (Edmond, Okla.) put PSC up 28-19 with just over six minutes left in the half.
The Eagles went on a 9-0 run to tie it at 28-28, doing so in 62 seconds. Over the last five minutes of the first half, PSC would outscore CMU 8-7, taking a one-point lead into the halftime break, 36-35.
The first ten of the second half went back and forth with PSC clinging to the one-point margin at 49-48 with 10:14 remaining in the game. CMU put together a 10-0 run to go up 58-49 with 7:02 left. The closest the 'Cats would get would be 58-54 on an Oppitz field goal.
CMU would outscore Peru State 15-8 over the final seven minutes to get the win.
Team Statistics
Both teams had similar overall field goal percentages as CMU made 27 of 61 field goals for 44.3% while PSC hit 25 of 57 for 43.9%. From behind the arc, the Eagles were four of 17 for 23.5%, compared to PSC's five of 16 for 31.3%. At the free throw line, CMU made 15 of 19 for 78.9%, while PSC was seven of 13 for 53.8%.
The Eagles had a slight advantage in rebounding, finishing the game with 36 while Peru State grabbed 33. A big difference in the game was that PSC turned the ball over 18 times while Central Methodist only had ten miscues.
Individual Statistics
Three Bobcats finished in double figures with Williams have a team-high 15 points and added a game-high four assists. Oppitz finished with 13 points and had eight rebounds. Jones added ten points and blocked two shots. Bohy finished with a team-high nine rebounds to go along with his five points and four rebounds.
CENTRAL METHODIST BOX SCORE
Upcoming Games
The Bobcats are flying to Orem, Utah, on Sunday for an exhibition game with the Utah Valley University Wolverines. The NCAA Division I Wolverines lost on Saturday to Chicago State, 62-54, falling to 9-12 overall. The game is scheduled to start at 8:05 CST.
Peru State will only play one other game this week when they travel to Canton, Mo., on Saturday to face the Culver-Stockton College Wildcats. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. or approximately 25 minutes following the women's game. The Wildcats won Saturday at Avila University 76-71 to improve to 17-6 overall and 8-3 in the HAAC.
Baker University will be the next home opponent for the 'Cats on Thursday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. or immediately following the conclusion of the women's contest.
All Bobcat games can be heard live on KNCY Radio 103.1 by clicking on the link on the PSC athletic website or by downloading KNCY's mobile app.
