When the opponent hits 53.3% of their field goals, it makes it difficult for most teams to overcome. Add to the mix that the Peru State Bobcats did not fare as well from the floor; it makes it even tougher.
The Bobcats fell to the home-standing Benedictine College Ravens on Thursday night in Atchison, Kan., 64-52. However, the score was not indicative of most of the game as the Ravens led by as many as 23 in the second half with 9:30 left in the game.
With the win, Benedictine improved to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). The Ravens currently are in a tie for the fourth and final host spot with Central Methodist.
Peru State's loss drops them to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in the HAAC. The Bobcats are tied with Missouri Valley in seventh with their conference mark. The 'Cats do own the tie-breaker at this point over the Vikings having swept the season series, but will need to win at least one, if not two, of their remaining three conference games, to make post-season play.
Game Action
Similar to the women's game, the Ravens jumped to an early 7-0 lead before
Andre Wells (Colorado Springs) hit a bucket on an assist from
Nate Bohy (Mesa, Ariz.) at the 17:30 mark in the first half.
The Ravens stretched their lead to double digits at 17-6 with 12:57 remaining in the first 20 minutes before
Justin Jones (Edmond, Okla.) grabbed an offensive rebound and stuck it back in.
Peru State fought back to close the gap to five at 25-20 a little over four minutes left in the half as Bohy connected on a three-pointer on an assist from
Richard Oppitz (Topeka, Kan.). However, it must have made the Ravens mad as they finished the half with a 12-0 run to lead 37-20 going into the break.
That Raven anger did not subside as they scored the first eight points of the second half to lead 45-20 with 15:30 before Jones,
Derrick Williams (St. Joseph, Mo.), and another bucket by Jones cut it to 45-26 with 12:19 left, forcing Benedictine to call a timeout.
Benedictine did go back up 51-28 with 9:30 left before the 'Cats finished the game outscoring the Ravens 24-13 over the final nine minutes.
Team Statistics
The Ravens were hot, in particular, in the first half, from the floor as they finished hitting 24 of 45 shots for 53.3%, while Peru State took 23 more shots, but made three less. The Bobcats made 21 of 68 for 30.9%. Benedictine connected on three of 12 from behind the arc for 25% while Peru State only hit three of 19 for 15.8%. At the charity stripe, Benedictine made 13 of 17 for 76.5%, compared to the Bobcats' seven of 12 of 58.3%.
Rebounding was close as the Ravens grabbed two more boards than Peru State, 38-36. The Bobcats played a clean game committing only nine turnovers while forcing the Ravens to commit 15.
Individual Statistics
Only Williams finished in double figures for the Bobcats as he finished with 16 points. Williams added four rebounds.
Oppitz added eight points and five rebounds, while Wells had a team-high seven rebounds. Wells recorded one block to add to his school career blocked shot record.
BENEDICTINE BOX SCORE
Upcoming Games
The Bobcats have three remaining games on their schedule, all of which will be key to Peru State's making the post-season HAAC tournament.
The Avila University Eagles will be the Bobcats' opponent on Saturday, Feb. 16, with the game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Peru State holds a one-game advantage over the Eagles in the conference standings as Avila is presently 3-12 in the HAAC and is on a three-game losing streak. At halftime of the men's game, Gary's Tumbling's “Fantastic Flyers” will be performing for the audience's entertainment.
Next Thursday, the 'Cats will be taking on the YellowJackets of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Presently, the 'Jackets are on the bottom of the HAAC standings with a 3-13 mark and have lost their last two games.
The final regular-season opponent for Peru State will be the Evangel University Crusaders, the HAAC's top team with a 13-2 conference mark. The Crusaders have won seven in a row and will visit the confines of the Al Wheeler Activity Center on Saturday, Feb. 23. It will be senior day for the Bobcats as they will recognize six seniors – Williams,
Peter Knudsen (Vanloese, Denmark), Wells, Jake Schaben
(Defiance, Iowa), Blake Steagall (Lake Tapawingo, Mo.), and Oppitz. Game time is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m.
Bobcat fans can listen live to all of the Bobcat games, home and away, on KNCY Radio 103.1, by either linking to the athletic website, KNCY's website, or by downloading the free KNCY app.
