(Peru, Neb.) – Trailing by ten with just under ten minutes to go in the game did not deter the Peru State College (PSC) Bobcat men's basketball team as they came back to defeat Missouri Valley 73-69 on Saturday.
 
With the win over the Vikings in Marshal, Mo., on Saturday, the Bobcats improved to 11-14 overall, and more importantly, upped their record to 4-10 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC).  The win moved them into a tie for seventh with Mo Valley, putting the 'Cats into the picture for post-season play, which will begin after the final four regular season games are completed.  
The Vikings fell to 9-17 overall and are on a five-game losing streak.
 
Game Action
 
The first part of the game was back and forth with the teams experiencing their fourth tie at 15-15 with 12:08 left in the first half.  After that point, the Vikings put together a 7-0 run to lead 22-15 at the 9:35 mark in the first stanza.
 
The Bobcats worked their way back to take a 32-31 lead on a bucket by Richard Oppitz (Topeka, Kan.) after he grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in.  Peru State would increase their lead to 39-32 with 82 seconds left in the half, before the Vikings cut the gap to one at halftime, as PSC led 39-38 going into the break.
 
The sixth tie of the game came at 47-47 with 15:15 left in the game, after which, the Vikings went on a 16-6 run to lead 63-53 with just under ten minutes left in the game. 
 
Peru State slowly worked its way back to knot the game at 67-67 3:35 left on another bucket by Oppitz coming on an assist from Derrick Williams (St. Joseph, Mo.).  The Vikings regained the lead on a free throw, but Nate Bohy put PSC back in the lead for good connecting on an old-fashioned three-point play, making it 70-68. 
 
Mo Valley did get another free throw, but Justin Jones (Edmond, Okla.) put back an offensive rebound for a bucket, making it 72-69.  Following a Viking miss, Kody Kirkpatrick (Loami, Ill.) hit one of two free throws with five seconds left to give PSC the 73-69 win.
 
Team Statistics
 
The shooting percentages from the field overall were nearly identical as PSC made 26 of 56 tries for 46.4% while the Vikings made 24 of 52 for 46.2%.  What helped Mo Valley was their three-point shooting as they hit six of 11 for 54.5%, compared to PSC's four of 16 for 25%.  At the charity stripe, Peru State made 17 of 25 for 68%, while Mo Valley was 15 of 24 for 62.5%.
 
The Bobcats outrebounded Mo Valley 41-28, but committed more turnovers 21 to 15.  The Vikings had 13 steals, while PSC was credited for six.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Williams had a game-high 25 points on nine of 18 shooting from the floor and was a perfect seven of seven from the free throw line.  In addition, Williams added seven rebounds and two assists.
 
Bohy finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists.  Oppitz had a game-high 13 rebounds and finished with ten points.

MISSOURI VALLEY BOX SCORE
 
Upcoming Games
 
The Bobcats will finish the regular season with two games in each of the next two weeks.  On Valentine's Day, the 'Cats will face the Benedictine College Ravens in Atchison, Kan., with the game time scheduled for 7:30 p.m.  The Ravens are on a two-game losing streak, but remain in a tie for fourth in the HAAC with an 8-6 conference mark.  Overall, Benedictine is 16-9.
 
On Saturday, Feb. 16, the Avila University Eagles will visit the confines of the Al Wheeler Activity Center in Peru.  Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.  Currently, the Eagles are ninth in the HAAC with a 3-11 mark and are 8-16 overall.  Avila is on a two-game losing streak, having lost on Saturday at home to Central Methodist.
 
During halftime of both games on Saturday at Peru State, there will be performances by Gary's Tumbling of Glenwood, Iowa.