(Peru, Neb.) – After leading after the first quarter, the Peru State women's basketball team went cold and fell on the road to William Penn (WPU) 63-43 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Statesmen improved to 5-5 overall and 3-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Peru State fell to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the Heart.

 
First Quarter Action
 
It was back and forth in the first quarter which saw four ties before the 'Cats led at the end of the period. After WPU hit a pair of free throws to start the quarter, Jackie Robles (Parlier, Calif.) hit a bucket in the paint. A field goal by the Statesmen was followed by a bucket by Celine Jolicoeur (Elmont, N.Y.) to knot it at 4-4 with 8:13 left in the first stanza. Once again, WPU would take the lead with a bucket only to see Justice Daniel (Olathe, Kan.) drain a three coming off an assist from Jackie Beaugard (Omaha). This gave Peru State its first lead at 7-6 at 7:27 mark.
 
After being tied at 7-7, the Bobcats would get a bucket by Beaugard and then another one by Daniel. With 3:31 left in the first period, Peru State led 11-7 which would match the largest lead the 'Cats would have in the contest. The Statesmen would come back to tie it at 11-11, but with 36 ticks left in the period, Madara Laure (Riga, Latvia) would get a friendly roll for a bucket and Peru State would lead 13-11 at the end of one quarter.
 
Second Quarter Action
 
Laure would start the second quarter by making a pair of free throws and again, the 'Cats were up by four at 15-11 with 9:47 left in the first half. WPU would score the next 11 to go ahead 22-15 with 6:16 to go in the quarter. The Statesmen would never trail again, but the Bobcats would come back with a trey from Robles off an assist from Daniel. WPU would lead by eight at 27-19 with 2:45 left in the half. Both teams would miss numerous shots during the final time in the quarter, but Beaugard would score the final three points – one with a bucket and then making one of two free throws. At halftime, the 'Cats would trail 27-22.

 
Third Quarter Action
 
Most of the third quarter the Bobcats kept its deficit to single digits and only trailed 35-31 after Robles made a pair of free throws with 2:55 left in the period. The Statesmen would stretch their lead to ten at 35-33 at the end of three quarters.
 
Fourth Quarter Action
 
WPU would score the first 11 points of the final stanza to go up 54-33 before Daniels made a pair of free throws at the 6:44 mark. Later, Peru State before a Robles bucket and a Laure free throw cut the deficit to 16 at 59-43 with 1:46 left in the game.

WILLIAM PENN GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Neither team really shot the ball well; however, WPU did shoot better from the floor and free throw line. The Statesmen made 22 of 62 field goals for 35.5%, but were horrid from long range as they made 1 of 12 for 8.3%. At the charity stripe, William Penn made 18 of 27 for 66.7%. Peru State shot a dismal 26.3% from the field making 15 of 57 tries, but did shoot slightly better than the Statesmen from long range making 4 of 27 for 14.8%. The Bobcats struggled at the free throw line making just 9 of 21 for 42.9%.

 
With the poor shooting, you would expect a lot of rebounds and there were quite a few. The Statesmen held the edge 53-42. WPU had 17 turnovers while Peru State had 19. The Statesmen blocked three shots while the 'Cats had one. WPU had nine steals with the Bobcats nabbing just five.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Robles was the only Bobcat in double figures as she finished with a game-high 19 points. Robles made 7 of 11 field goals including making 3 of 6 treys. Beaugard added eight points with Daniel finishing with seven.
 
Beaugard grabbed a team-high ten rebounds with Jolicoeur adding eight and Robles six. Daniel dished out three assists with Beaugard adding two.
 
Beaugard had the lone blocked shot with Daniel and Laure each grabbing two steals.
 
Upcoming Games
 
Peru State will play a pair of non-conference games this week before getting back into conference action next Saturday.
 
On Tuesday, the Bobcats will travel to face York College at 6 p.m. The Panthers are 4-4 and will be coming off a two-week layoff when the 'Cats visit. Their last game was a loss to Graceland on the road, a team Peru State beat on Dec. 2.
 
The next night, Peru State will host Nebraska Wesleyan at 6 p.m. The Prairie Wolves are 3-4 on the season and have lost two games in a row.
 
Then, next Saturday, the Bobcats will be back in Heart action when they travel to Canton, Mo., to take on Culver-Stockton. The Wildcats are 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the Heart having won on Saturday over Grand View (Iowa).