Peru State took the first lead of the game as Jasmine Tate (Fayetteville, N.C.) hit one of two free throws at the 19:24 mark in the first half. One minute later, the Eagles got on the board with a field goal to lead 2-1.

After several trips up and down the court, Brianna Madrid (Glendale, Ariz.) hit a bucket in the paint on an assist from Tate giving Peru State a 3-2 lead with 17:25 remaining in the first 20 minutes.

A 10-0 run gave Avila a 12-3 lead before Shelbie Hess (Phoenix) hit a two-pointer in the paint to stop the Eagle run with 13:14 left in the first half.

Avila would lead by as many as 15 in the first half on two different occasions before the 'Cats would cut it to just a nine-point deficit at halftime, trailing 37-28.

Second Half Action

After the Eagles hit a trey to open the half, leading 40-28 with 17:43 left in the game, the Bobcats would go on a 10-0 run of their own. It was capped off by a Karlee Stuart (Las Animas, Colo.) bucket with 13:40 remaining, making it 40-28 Avila.

The teams would trade buckets before Peru State eventually gained the lead at 46-45 as Hess hit a bucket on a fast break on an assist from Tate with 8:11 left. Avila would regain the lead with a three-pointer, but Stuart countered with a three-pointer of her own, making it Peru State 49-48 with 7:07 to go.

Another assist by Tate to Hess made it 51-48. The next time down the court for Peru State, Madrid was fouled and she connected on one of two free throws giving the 'Cats their largest lead of the game at that point at 52-48 with 5:20 left.

With 4:05 remaining, Peru State still led by four at 55-51. Then, the Bobcats went cold and also committed several turnovers. With 54 ticks left in the game, the Eagles tied it at 55-55. Peru State had three shot attempts in the final seconds but could not convert forcing the game into overtime.

Overtime

The Eagles would score the first five points of the OT before Tate hit two free throws making it 60-57 with 2:48 left. Avila countered with a trey to stretch the lead to six at 63-57 and then followed with a pair of free throws to have a commanding eight-point margin at 65-57 with 2:06 left in the overtime.

The Bobcats did not give up as Stuart nailed a trey on an assist from Sydney Wilkinson (St. Joseph, Mo.) making it 65-60 at the 1:47 mark.
Hess followed up with a free throw and then Tate stole the ball from the Eagles and scored on the fast break. With 50 seconds left in OT, Avila led 65-63.

One free throw from two different Eagle players made it 67-63 before Sydney Young (Omaha) hit a pair of free throws to get the 'Cats back within two at 67-65 with 24 seconds left. A Bobcat foul allowed Avila to add on two more charity tosses, giving them a four-point cushion at 69-65 with 17 seconds remaining.

Again, Peru State had a chance to cut into the lead, but three consecutive three-point shots were missed and Avila eventually won 69-65.

Team Statistics

While the Bobcats were not as cold as it was outside, Peru State did struggle with its shooting, both in field goals and at the free throw line. The 'Cats managed to make only 21 of 77 field goal tries for 27.3%, including five of 23 from behind the arc for 21.7%. At the charity stripe, Peru State was 18 of 23 for 54.5%.
Avila was not much better in field goal shooting, but won the game by their free throw shooting. The Eagles made 20 of 63 field goals for 31.7% while making only six of 35 three-point tries for 17.1%. However, the free throw shooting was the difference as they made 23 of 32 attempts for 71.9%.

The rebounding was almost even as the Eagles held a 48-46 advantage. Peru State did force Avila to commit four more turnovers, 20 compared to the Bobcats' 16. Avila was credited with five blocked shots while Peru State did not have a block.

Individual Statistics

Four Bobcats finished in double figures as Tate led Peru State with a season-high 16 points and her highest-point total since her sophomore season. Stuart and Young each finished with 14 points while Hess added 12.

Stuart finished with a double double as she had a team-high 11 boards while Madrid added ten.

Tate dished out five assists while Wilkinson added three. In addition, Tate had a season-high seven steals against Avila.

AVILA BOX SCORE

Upcoming Games

The Bobcats are not getting much rest as they returned home late on Thursday and headed to Salina, Kan., early Friday morning to play in the Kansas Wesleyan Classic.

On Friday, the 'Cats are playing Bethany College at 2 p.m. and then will face the tourney hosts on Saturday at 4 p.m. Bethany is currently 2-12 and is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak. Kansas Wesleyan won their last game on Dec. 14, but is 6-7 on the year. The Coyotes topped the Bobcats in Peru State's first game of the year 82-81 in Peru.