(Peru, Neb.) – It was the biggest win in the early Coach
Eric Behrens' era! Peru State went into the Ralph Nolan gymnasium at Benedictine College and knocked off the NAIA DII's preseason #4 Ravens Thursday night by a score of 69-64.
With the win, the Bobcats improved to 6-3 and 1-0 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Benedictine fell to 7-2 overall and dropped their first Heart contest.
Game Action The first half was back and forth for the first five minutes as the Ravens held a 10-9 advantage with 15:37 left in the first half. A three-point bucket by
Jamar Cannon (Inglewood, Calif.) put the 'Cats on top 12-10 just 20 seconds later. Peru State never trailed the rest of the first half from that point on.
Sean McGary gets a dunk early in the game. McGary
had a game-high six assists and four steals. The Bobcats would stretch the lead to 28-21 as
Tokie Aromona (Kansas City, Mo.) drained a trey with 6:35 remaining in the first 20 minutes. The teams would continue to trade buckets until near the end when
Calvin Thomas (Chicago) hit a three on an assist from Cannon giving Peru State its largest lead of the half at 37-26. A Raven free throw at the end of the half gave the 'Cats a ten-point cushion at halftime.
Peru State would never trail in the second half but the Ravens stayed in the game and cut the lead to three numerous times in the second half, but could not get any closer. With just 1:25 left in the game, Peru State led 62-59, but the 'Cats would go up by eight at 68-60 as
Corday Sims (Chicago) hit a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left.
Benedictine would hit a three and then benefited by a Peru State foul. The Ravens would hit one of two free throws and be back within four at 68-64. Sims would go to the free throw line with seven seconds left and made one of two free throws to make the final margin 69-64.
Team Statistics Peru State won the game despite shooting poorly from the floor making 21 of 51 for 34.4%. However, hitting 10 of 20 three-point attempts for 50% played a big part in the win. From the free throw line, the 'Cats were 17 of 28 for 60.7%.
The Ravens made 19 of 46 field goals for 41.3% which included making 6 of 19 from long range for 31.6%. At the charity stripe, Benedictine finished 20 of 35 for 57.1%.
Benedictine held a slight rebounding edge at 41-39. Peru State forced 20 Raven turnovers while committing just 12. Each team had seven steals while Benedictine blocked two shots while the 'Cats had three.
Individual Statistics Sims led all scorers with 29 points and was the only Bobcat in double figures. Sims was 9 of 17 from the floor including making 5 of 8 from long range. Cannon added nine points with Thomas finishing with seven.
Jeff Neverson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had eight rebounds to lead Peru State's efforts on the boards. Sims added five rebounds.
Sean McGary (Omaha) had a game-high six assists and also had game-high honors with four steals.
McGary,
DeShun Roberts (Omaha), and Aromona each blocked one shot.
Corday Sims gets help with ball retrieval from a Raven fan near the end of the game.
Sims had a game-high 29 points.BENEDICTINE GAME BOX Upcoming Games Peru State will have two more Heart contests this calendar year. On Saturday, the Bobcats will host Evangel University. The game time is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the women's contest. Presently, the Crusaders are 3-3 overall and opened their season with a 63-50 win over Avila University at home Thursday night.
At halftime of Saturday's women's and men's games, the Fantastic Flyers will perform. The group is part of Gary's Tumbling from Glenwood, Iowa, and has performed at Peru State in the past.
In addition, the Bobcat women's golf team and the College's Student Athlete Advisory Council are seeking holiday cards for deployed soldiers.
On Saturday, Dec. 13, Peru State will host Avila at 4 p.m. Overall, the Eagles are 4-5 and 0-1 in the Heart.
