(Peru, Neb.) – After Peru State made the first half close at the end, the Benedictine (BC) men's basketball team pulled away for a 13-point win over the visiting Bobcats Saturday afternoon in Atchison, Kan. The Ravens won 84-71 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) match-up.
 
With the win, the Ravens improved to 8-3 on the season and to 3-0 in the Heart. Peru State fell to 6-5 on the season and 2-1 in conference action.
 
First Half Action
 

After BC opened with a bucket, Noah Vasa (Nebraska City) tied it up at 2-2 at the 17:53 mark. The Ravens then scored the next nine points and eventually led by as many as 13 at 17-4 with 13:31 left in the first 20 minutes.
 
The Bobcats would then go on a 10-point run which started with back-to-back-to-back buckets by LJ Westbrook (Salem, Ore.). Vasa would then add another bucket and then Westbrook would drain a pair of free throws. Suddenly, the 'Cats were trailing just by three at 17-14 with 10:45 on the clock.
 
That would be as close as Peru State would be in the contest as Benedictine would extend its lead back to as many as 11 on three different occasions in the first half. After trailing by 10 at 34-24, Peru State would eventually cut the deficit to just five points at halftime as Terry Moore Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.) would score 9 points down the stretch.
 
Benedictine would lead 38-33 at the break.
 
Second Half Action
 
The Ravens would extend the lead to 15 on several occasions early in the second half. After trailing by that amount at 69-54, Allias Roberts-Burnett (Joliet, Ill.) would hit a bucket off an assist from Moore Jr. Then Seth Snoddy (Daly City, Calif.) made 1 of 2 free throws before Nolan Cass (Spring, Texas) drained a trey coming on an assist from Roberts-Burnett to pull the 'Cats with single-digits at 69-60 with 7:01 left in the game.
 
Benedictine would again go back up by 15 before Peru State made another comeback attempt. With 2:16 left in the game, a basket by Westbrook would pull the 'Cats within 8 at 79-71 which forced a Raven timeout.
 
That would be the last points of the contest for the 'Cats as the Ravens scored 5 down the stretch.

BENEDICTINE GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Benedictine was a hot-shooting team on Saturday as they made 31 of 53 field goals for 58.5% which included making 6 of 12 from long range for 50%. At the charity stripe, the Ravens made 16 of 18 tries for 88.9%. Peru State made 28 of 62 field goals for 45.2%, but struggled from behind the arc as they made only 6 of 21 for 28.6%. The 'Cats had an off night at the free throw line, connecting on just 9 of 18 for 50%.
 
The Ravens had a big rebounding edge as they grabbed 40 rebounds compared to 26 for the Bobcats. BC dished out 21 assists while the 'Cats had 12.
 
BC did commit 21 turnovers while the Bobcats finished with 14. The Ravens had 2 blocked shots compared to 1 for the Bobcats. Peru State had 10 steals while Benedictine finished with 8.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Moore Jr. led the Bobcats with a game-high 17 points while Westbrook added 14. Snoddy was also in double figures as he finished with 10.
 

Moore Jr. also led the team with 7 rebounds while Snoddy added 5. Westbrook dished out 6 assists while Quantice Hunter (Chicago) and Moore Jr. each had 2 assists.
 
Vasa was credited with the blocked shot. Moore Jr. had 4 steals, Hunter had 3, and Westbrook added 2.
 
Upcoming Games
 
The Bobcats will have three more contests before the end of 2017. On Friday, Dec. 15, Peru State will host Friends (Kan.) at 7 p.m. The Falcons are 6-6 on the year having lost Saturday at York.
 
Peru State will then participate in a tournament in Mitchell, S.D., on Dec. 29 and 30. On the 29^th, the 'Cats will play the hosts Dakota Wesleyan at 8:30 p.m. The Tigers are currently 10-4 and will play several games before the Bobcats come to town. On the 30^th, the Bobcats will face Dordt (Iowa) for the second time this season. The Defenders are 8-7 presently. Earlier in the season, Peru State topped Dordt in overtime.