(Peru, Neb.) – An 18-point lead with 7:22 left in the game was not enough for the Peru State College (PSC) Bobcat women on Saturday as the Culver-Stockton College (C-SC) Wildcat women finished with a 29-6 run to win 76-71.
With the win, C-SC evened its season and conference records. On the year, the Wildcats are now 11-11 and are 6-6 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). The Bobcats' season mark now stands at 11-13 and are 6-6 in the HAAC, putting them in a tie with Culver-Stockton for fifth in the ten-team league.
Game Action
Culver-Stockton jumped out to a 6-0 lead before
Adaugo Osuala (Lakewood, Colo.) nabbed a steal and drove in for a two-point fast-break bucket with 17:45 remaining in the first half.
The Wildcats expanded their lead to ten at 20-10 with just over ten minutes left in the first half before
Sydney Wilkinson (St. Joseph, Mo.) hit one of two free throws to get PSC back within single digits. An old-fashioned three-point play by Osuala made it 20-14 at the 9:00 minute mark.
Jasmine Lockwood (Sunrise, Fla.) cut the deficit to four (20-16) with a bucket in the paint with 7:46 left in the first half.
C-SC moved the lead back to nine on a five-point run before
Natasha Moss (Indianapolis) hit a bucket on an assist from Lockwood, cutting it to 25-18 with 5:28 left. The Wildcats still led by eight at 27-19 before Peru State finished the half with a 13-3 run to take a 32-30 lead into the halftime break.
PSC came out of the halftime hot and outscored the Wildcats 10-0 that was fueled by two buckets by
Courtney Ward (Bartlesville, Okla.), two baskets by
Jasmine Tate (Fayetteville, N.C.) and another one by Osuala made it 42-30 in less than three minutes off the clock in the second half.
The Wildcats responded with an 11-0 run of their own to get within one at 42-41 with 13:56 remaining in the game before Peru State responded with another run of their own. The Bobcats outscored Culver-Stockton 11-2 in the next two minutes to lead 53-43 at the 11:09 mark.
With 7:22 left in the game, PSC had extended their lead to 18 at 65-47 before Culver-Stockton locked things down with a press that caused the Bobcats fits. The Wildcats had a 12-0 run to get within six at 65-59 before Lockwood hit a bucket to stop the run with 3:48 left in the game.
Culver-Stockton would eventually tie the game at 69-69 with 1:09 left before taking a one-point lead at 70-69 as they converted two free throws. Osuala gave the Bobcats the lead back as she made a pair of free throws with 55 seconds left, but that would be the end of the PSC scoring. The Wildcats finished with a free throw, a three-pointer and a two-pointer to grab the important win in the HAAC.
Team Statistics
Culver-Stockton outshot the Bobcats from the floor as they converted on 29 of 66 field goals from 43.9%, which included making four of 16 from behind the arc for 25%. Peru State took more shots, but made two fewer, going 27 of 77 for 35.1%. The Bobcats were cold from three-point range making only two of 13 for 15.4%. PSC did fare better at the free throw line making 15 of 22 for 68.2% while the Wildcats hit 14 of 27 for 51.9%.
Individual Statistics
Peru State had a balanced scoring effort as four Bobcats finished in double figures. Osuala led the team with 16 points. In addition, Osuala had five rebounds, five steals, and four assists.
Ayana Smith (Colorado Springs) added 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Also, Smith had four steals and four assists.
Ward finished with her 16
th double double of the year as she contributed 14 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Ward added four steals and one blocked shot.
Lockwood finished with 13 points and had three rebounds.
CULVER-STOCKTON BOX SCORE
Upcoming Action
The Bobcats will finish the rest of the season with two games each of the next three weeks. On Thursday, Feb. 7, PSC will host the Baker University Wildcats in a game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. in the Al Wheeler Activity Center. Currently, the Wildcats have a five-game winning streak and are 9-3 in the HAAC and 16-8 overall. On Saturday, Baker topped Evangel University 70-52.
Peru State will travel to Marshal, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 9, to face the 6-18 Missouri Valley Vikings at 2 p.m. The Vikings are 3-9 in the HAAC and have lost three games in a row, losing to Benedictine College 75-52 on Saturday.
