(Peru, Neb.) – After a relatively-close first half, a big second half by the Peru State men's basketball team propelled the Bobcats to a big 97-61 win over the host Grace University Royals.
With the non-conference win, Peru State improves to 16-8 on the season. The Royals fell to 12-14 with the loss.
First Half Action The 'Cats scored the first point on a free throw by
Quantice Hunter (Chicago) and then with a basket by
Kris Frazier (Cleveland) after he had grabbed the Hunter free throw miss and put it back in. After a pair of Royal free throws, Peru State reeled off eight straight points to go up 9-1 at the 14:40 mark in the first half.
Jeff Neverson led the
team with 23 points
and nine rebounds Peru State's largest lead in the first half came at the 11:57 mark when the Bobcats led 19-5 after
Darwin Ellis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer on a
Darin Minniefield (Houston) assist.
At the end of the first half, Ellis made one of two free throws as the Grace closed the gap to 46-37 at halftime.
Second Half Action Baskets by Hunter off an assist by
Rich Shepherd (Greenville, N.C.) and
Riak Bol (Omaha) gave Peru State a 13-point advantage to start the second stanza at 50-37.
The Royals got back within eight within the next minute before
Corday Sims (Chicago) hit a trey off an assist from Hunter.
Peru State's first 20-point lead came at 67-45 with 10:18 left in the contest after Hunter hit a three-pointer off a
Jeff Neverson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) assist. The Royals would get back with 17 at 69-52 with 8:10 to go in the game.
Josh Varney (Cape Coral, Fla.) hit a field goal with 3:07 left on an assist from Ellis to put Peru State on top by 31 at 88-57.
Corday Sims had 23
points in the win Ellis would finish the scoring in the game by making one of two free throw with 31 ticks left on the clock.
GRACE BOX SCORE Team Statistics Peru State made 35 of 67 field goals for 52.2% which included making 8 of 26 three-point attempts for 30.8%. At the free throw line, the 'Cats made 19 of 24 of 79.2%. The Royals were cold on their own court as they only made 18 of 68 for 26.5% and hit 5 of 21 from long range for 23.8%. At the charity stripe, Grace made 20 of 30 for 66.7%.
The Bobcats had a slight rebounding edge as they pulled down 49 boards while Grace had 41. Peru State tripled up the Royals in assists as the 'Cats dished out 12 compared to Grace's four. The Bobcats committed 13 turnovers while forcing Grace into 18. The 'Cats had three blocked shots and 12 steals with Grace finishing with nine steals.
Individual Statistics Sims and Neverson finished with a game-high 23 points each. Frazier added 14 while Ellis contributed 12.
Kris Frazier had 14 points
and blocked three shots Neverson just missed a double-double as he grabbed nine rebounds with Frazier adding eight. Shepherd, Sims, Hunter, Ellis, and Neverson each dished out two assists.
Frazier was credited with all three of the team's blocked shots. Ellis and Neverson each had three steals with Shepherd and Hunter each nabbing two.
Upcoming Games Peru State has six games remaining in the regular season with the upcoming one being one of the biggest of the season. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University will be visiting the confines of the Al Wheeler Activity Center Wednesday night. The 20
th-ranked Pioneers are 18-6 and 12-4 in the Heart. The Pioneers, along with the Bobcats, are locked in a three-way tie with William Penn (Iowa) University at the top of the conference standings. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Student Athlete Advisory Council is sponsoring a "Black-Out Night" and encourages all Bobcat fans to be dressed in black to support the basketball teams.
On Saturday, the 'Cats will head to Marshall, Mo., to face Missouri Valley College at 4 p.m. Currently, the Vikings are 12-12 overall and 7-9 in the Heart.
