(Peru, Neb.) – A valiant second-half effort by the Peru State men's basketball team fell short as the Missouri Valley Vikings went home with a 76-73 win. The Bobcats trailed by as many as 16 in the first half and by 11 early in the second half, before staging the comeback. However, turnovers at the end of the game allowed Mo Valley to win.
 
Peru State' inability to convert at the free throw line was costly as they made just 14 of 25 for 56% while the Vikings made 20 of 26 for 76.9%.

 
The Vikings improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart). Peru State fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in conference action.
 
First Half Action
 
After the Vikings drew first blood, Lyle Hexom (Omaha) made a pair of free throws to tie it at 2-2 with 19:24 left in the first half. The 'Cats would build a lead of six at 10-4 when Matej Delinac (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) hit a three pointer on an assist from Marley Biyendolo (Melbourne, Australia) with 16:58 remaining in the first half.
 
Missouri Valley would go on a 7-0 run to lead 13-10 before Rashad Brackeen (Oakland, Calif.) hit a trey to tie it coming off an assist from Biyendolo at the 14:54 mark. The Vikings would go on to lead for the remainder of the half and led by as many as 16 at 40-24 with 4:13 left in the first 20 minutes.
 
A three-pointer late in the first half at the 1:07 point by Delinac, this time on an assist from Brandon Eboigbodin (Nashville) cut the deficit to seven at 40-33. The Vikings would tack on a bucket to lead 42-33 at the break.
 
Second Half Action
 
Mo Valley scored first in the second half before Delinac started and finished an 11-2 run with a bucket in the paint at the 14:03 mark to make it 46-44.
 
It would not be until the 10:18 point in the game when a Hexom bucket on an assist from Biyendolo tied the game at 53-53. The game would be tied at 55-55, 61-61, 69-69, and 73-73 which was with 27 seconds left in the contest.
 
A Bobcat turnover would lead to Mo Valley making one of two free throws with Peru State getting the ball back with plenty of time on the clock. However, two more turnovers in the final seconds doomed the 'Cats as they were looking for their second conference win.

MISSOURI VALLEY GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
From the floor, the Bobcats out-shot Mo Valley as they made 25 of 62 field goals for 40.3% which included making 9 of 27 from long range for 33.3%. The Vikings made 27 of 71 field goals for 38% and struggled from behind the arc as they only made 2 of 16 tries for 12.5%.
 
As noted earlier, the Vikings won the game at the free throw line as they made six more free throws than Peru State and had just one more attempt than the 'Cats.
 
The rebounds were nearly even as Peru State grabbed one more – 40 to 39. The 'Cats did dish out a few more assists 14 compared to 8 for the Vikings. The Bobcats did have a few more turnovers than Missouri Valley as they committed 17 errors while the Vikings had 13.
 
Peru State blocked three shots while Mo Valley had one. The Vikings did more than double the steals on Peru State – 11 to 5.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Delinac finished with a game-high 29 points on 12 of 22 shooting from the floor. Hexom added 20 points while Brackeen contributed 15.
 
Eboigbodin grabbed nine game-high rebounds to lead Peru State. Delinac had seven boards while Hexom finished with six.
 
Biyendolo dished out a game-high seven assists while Eboigbodin, Hexom, and Delinac each added two. Paulius Sakinis (Klaipeda, Lithuania) blocked two shots while Hexom blocked one. Eboigbodin had three steals.
 
Upcoming Games
 
The MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers will host the Bobcats on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Olathe, Kan. The Pioneers are 2-1 on the season and are 1-0 in Heart play having topped Mount Mercy (Iowa).

Next Tuesday, the Bobcats will travel to Canton, Mo., to face the Culver-Stockton Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Culver-Stockton is 1-4 on the season and 0-1 in the Heart and will face Grand View before hosting the Bobcats.