(Peru, Neb.) – After the Pioneers led for most of the first half, a late surge by the Peru State men's basketball team propelled the 'Cats into a halftime lead. It would be a lead that the Bobcats would not relinquish in the second half on their way to a 94-82 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) in Olathe, Kan., on Thursday night.
With the win, Peru State improved to 16-10 overall and 9-6 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, which ties them for third with Missouri Valley College.
Phil Jackson slams home two of his team-high 23 points. Jackson
also finished with ten rebounds and five blocked shots.The loss moves MNU to 7-8 in conference play and 8-16 overall. Presently, the Pioneers are in eighth in the Heart.
Both teams have three regular season games remaining.
Game Action MNU took the early lead on a pair of free throws before
Corday Sims (Chicago) hit a trey to put the Bobcats up 3-2 at the 19:10 mark in the first 20 minutes.
Another Pioneer hoop gave them the lead before
Jeff Neverson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make it 5-4 Peru State.
The game would be back and forth as there were ties at 7-7, 16-16, and 25-25. After the 25-all tie, MNU would outscore Peru State 13-4 to lead 38-29 with 5:25 left in the half.
The Bobcats would battle back to eventually take a 42-41 lead on a three-point bucket by
David Plain (Chicago). Then, the game would see ties at 42-42, 43-43, and 45-45.
After that point, the Bobcats would outscore MNU 6-2 to finish the first 20 minutes and lead 51-47 at the intermission.
The Pioneers stayed close for the first couple of minutes in the first half by trailing only by two at 56-54 with 17:58 left in the game. Peru State then went on an 8-0 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game at 64-54 at the 14:19 mark after Sims hit a bucket on an assist from Plain.
MNU would hit a bucket to get back within eight, but Phil Jackson
(Chicago) would get a bucket on an assist from Sims to make it 66-56. After that point, the Bobcats never led by less than ten the rest of the contest.
Peru State's largest lead came at 84-66 with just under four minutes remaining when
Jamar Cannon (Inglewood, Calif.) made the first of two free throws.
The Pioneers would close it back to ten at 84-74, but would not get any closer as the Bobcats went on to the 94-82 victory.
Jeff Neverson lays in two of
his 15 points for Peru State Team Statistics The Bobcats shot the ball well from the floor against MNU as they made 33 of 61 field goals for 54.1% which included making 7 of 17 treys for 41.2%. From the charity stripe, the 'Cats were 21 of 34 for 61.8%.
MNU made 28 of 61 field goals for 45.9% and hit 8 of 18 three-point attempts for 44.4%. From the free throw line, the Pioneers made 18 of 23 tries for 78.3%.
The 'Cats did hold an edge in rebounding as Peru State grabbed 41 boards compared to MNU's 30. The Bobcats committed two more turnovers than the Pioneers as Peru State finished with 17 errors while MNU had 15.
Individual Statistics Five Bobcats finished in double figures with Jackson leading the way with 23 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the floor. Sims added 22 points with Plain and Neverson each adding 15. Cannon finished with ten points.
Jackson had a double-double as he had a game-high ten rebounds. Neverson just missed a double-double as he added nine boards.
Plain nearly missed a double-double as he had a game-high eight assists with
Sean McGary (Omaha) and Sims each dishing out three. Sims led the team with three steals while Plain and McGary each nabbed two steals.
Jackson swatted away five MNU shots while Cannon blocked one.
MNU GAME BOOK Upcoming Games 
David Plain scores two late in the
game. Plain finished with
15 points.Peru State will host Culver-Stockton College on Saturday at approximately 4:15 p.m. This will be part of the College Foundation's Alumni Chili Feed. The Wildcats are just one game behind Peru State in the conference at 8-7 and are 13-13 overall.
Before the men's game starts, the fall Bobcat student-athletes will be recognized for their academic and athletic honors. At halftime of the men's game, the Fantastic Flyers of Glenwood, Iowa, will perform for the crowd's entertainment.
The Bobcats will then have their final home regular-season contest on Thursday, Feb. 26, at approximately 7:30 p.m. The game with Baker University will be Senior Night. Currently, Baker is ninth in the league with a 3-12 mark and are 9-16 overall.
Finally, on Feb. 28, the regular season will close with a game at Central Methodist University. The Eagles are presently just one game behind the Bobcats at 8-7 and are 18-9 overall. Game time in Fayette is planned for 4 p.m.
