(Peru, Neb.) – It is hard for a team to beat another team three times in one year. That was the situation in Canton, Mo., on Thursday night as the Peru State Bobcats topped Culver-Stockton College 92-89 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference post-season quarter-finals.
The Wildcats had swept the season home-and-away series with Peru State having won in overtime in Canton and then topping the Bobcats in the Al Wheeler Activity Center just two weeks ago.
For Peru State, this was their first win in Heart post-season play as they lost their only Heart post-season contest to Evangel University in 2013. Ironically, Evangel will be the Bobcats next opponent on Saturday night. The win is the first post-season win for Peru State since prior to the 2003-04 year.
Corday Sims goes up and over two
Wildcat defenders on his way to
two points. Sims finished the
game with 22 points and
ten rebounds. Game Action The game was close throughout the entire contest as the largest lead by either team was six by Peru State which happened several times in the second half. The latest six-point lead for the Bobcats came at the 1:57 mark in the game when Peru State led 87-81.
Jamar Cannon (Inglewood, Calif.) started the scoring for Peru State on an assist from
Jeff Neverson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at the 19:19 mark in the first half. After a
Phillip Jackson (Chicago) blocked shot which was rebounded by
Corday Sims (Chicago), the Bobcats brought the ball down the court and
Sean McGary (Omaha) scored a bucket in the paint.
A trey by Culver-Stockton cut the lead to one, but Cannon scored a bucket on a fast break in the paint to make the score 6-3.
The tight contest in the first half continued as the first twenty minutes saw nine ties with the last being at 40-40.
McGary broke the 40-40 tie after grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back it to put Peru State up 42-40 with 1:37 left in the half.
Jarrell Williams (Omaha) would follow with a bucket making the score 44-40 before the Wildcats would hit another three to cut the lead to one at 44-43.
With 39 seconds left in the first half,
John Ruffin (Chicago) hit a bucket in the paint and Peru State led at halftime 46-43.
Sean McGary was the floor general for Peru State and
finished with 12 points and eight assistsThere would be six more ties in the second with the last tie occurring with 5:39 left in the game at 74-74. The Wildcats would briefly take the lead as they completed an old-fashioned three-point play and led 75-74.
McGary would respond with a bucket in the paint and the Bobcats would never trail after that point although the Wildcats would keep it tight throughout the final five minutes.
Neverson would make one of two free throws with eight seconds left on the clock to give the Bobcats the 92-89 lead and eventual victory.
Team Statistics The Bobcats were hot from the floor as they made 29 of 54 field goals for 53.7%, but were even hotter from behind the arc as they made 7 of 11 for 63.6%. At the free throw line, Peru State went 27 of 42 for 64.3%.
Culver-Stockton made 28 of 69 field goals for 40.6% which included making 13 of 31 from long range for 41.9%. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats made 20 of 34 for 58.8%.
Peru State held the edge in rebounding as they grabbed 42 boards compared to the Wildcats' 35. The Bobcats did commit more turnovers as they had 17 while Culver-Stockton had ten.
Phillip Jackson dunks for two of his 11 points Individual Statistics All seven Bobcats playing scored in the win with four finishing in double figures. Cannon led the team with 25 points while Sims finished with 22. McGary added 12 points while Jackson finished with 11.
Sims finished the game with a double-double as he had ten rebounds. Jackson and Neverson both added seven boards.
McGary dished out a game-high eight assists while Neverson added five. Jackson, Neverson, Sims, and Williams each dished out one assist.
Jackson blocked three Wildcat shots while Neverson was credited with one.
CULVER-STOCKTON GAME BOOK Upcoming Game By winning their first post-season Heart contest, the Bobcats will play again Saturday night as they travel to Springfield, Mo., to face the top-seeded Evangel University Crusaders at 7 p.m. The 22
nd-ranked Crusaders are now 19-11 overall on the season.
The teams split their regular-season games by winning on each other's home court. In December, Evangel topped the Bobcats 66-65 while Peru State won on Jan. 31 by a score of 86-83.
The winner of the contest will face either Benedictine College or Missouri Valley College on Tuesday, March 10 at the higher-seeded team's home site. For Peru State, with a win against Evangel, they would travel to either Benedictine or Missouri Valley as the Bobcats are the lowest-seeded team remaining in the tournament.
