(Peru, Neb.) – Peru State's men's basketball team saw their halftime lead of five turn into an 11-point deficit with less than ten minutes left in the game against Clarke. The Bobcats did not panic at that point and came back to take an 81-78 victory over the Crusaders Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa.
 
With the win, the 'Cats helped their chances of potentially securing a spot in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) as they improved to 9-13 in conference action and 10-16 overall. The Crusaders fell to 9-16 on the year and are 7-14 in the Heart.
 
The win kept Peru State in tenth in the 14-team league, but more importantly, they moved two games ahead of their nearest opponents with four games remaining in the regular season. Ten teams move onto post-season play which will begin Feb. 28. The 'Cats could potentially move into a hosting position depending on how their final four games come out.

 
First Half Action
 
Brandon Eboigbodin (Nashville) started things off with a bucket in the paint to give Peru State the first points of the contest. The game would go back-and-forth with five different ties early in the game.
 
After being tied at 23-23, a bucket by Marley Biyendolo (Melbourne, Australia) would put the Bobcats in front with 8:09 in the first half. Free throws by Eboigbodin and later one by Justin Neyland (Council Bluffs) gave the 'Cats a five-point advantage at 28-23 with 6:41 left in the first 20 minutes. Following a bucket by the Crusaders, Matej Delinac (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) hit a trey off an assist from Biyendolo to give the Bobcats a six-point advantage.
 
Later, an old-fashioned three-point play by Rashad Brackeen (Oakland, Calif.) would put Peru State up by eight – its largest lead at that point at 38-30 with 3:22 left in the half. Clarke would cut into the lead and came back within three late in the half, before Biyendolo hit a bucket off an assist from Brackeen for the final scoring of the first half.
 
Peru State led 45-40 after the first 20 minutes.
 
Second Half Action

 
The Crusaders came storming out of halftime and tied the game at 48-48 before taking the lead with a three-pointer at the 16:04 mark in the second half. Clarke would eventually lead by ten at 62-52 and then later lead 67-56 with 9:40 left after which the 'Cats would slowly start to pull itself back into the contest.
 
A bucket by Noah Vasa (Nebraska City) in the paint was followed by a three-pointer by Brackeen. Biyendolo followed with a lay-up to cut the lead to four at 67-63 with 6:36 on the clock. Another old-fashioned three-point play, this time by Eboigbodin, pulled Peru State to within one. On Peru State's next possession, Eboigbodin would grab an offensive rebound who fed it to Brackeen for a bucket. The 'Cats were now back on top at 68-67 with 4:40 left in the game.
 
Biyendolo would hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three. The game would later be tied at 70-70 and then 73-73 before a jumper by Biyendolo would put the 'Cats back in front. A pair of Eboigbodin free throws made it 77-73 with 1:27 on the clock. But, Clarke was not done.
 
The Crusaders would score the next five points and led by one at 78-77 with 28 seconds remaining. After a Bobcat timeout, Biyendolo would score on a lay-up and was fouled on the play. He would hit his free throw try to make it 80-78 with 11 ticks on the clock. Eboigbodin would grab the defensive rebound and would be fouled with three seconds left. After missing the first shot, Eboigbodin made the second for what would be the final score in the game. Peru State won 81-78.

CLARKE GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Clarke shot the ball better than Peru State in the game. The Crusaders made 29 of 63 attempts for 46% which included hitting 12 of 25 from downtown for 48%. At the free throw line, Clarke made 8 of 11 for 72.7%. Peru State made 29 of 66 field goals for 43.9% while connecting on 7 of 23 from long range for 30.4%. The Bobcats won the contest at the free throw line making 16 of 21 for 76.2%.

 
The 'Cats had a slight rebounding edge grabbing 39 rebounds compared to 37 for Clarke. The Crusaders finished with 15 assists while the Bobcats had 13. It was identical totals in turnovers – Clarke 15 and Peru State 13.
 
The Bobcats blocked six shots and grabbed ten steals while the Crusaders finished with seven steals and no blocks.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Three Bobcats finished in double figures with Biyendolo leading the way with a game-high 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting. Brackeen and Eboigbodin each added 18 points while Delinac was one shy of double figures with nine.
 
Eboigbodin was a monster on the boards as he grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. Brackeen and Delinac each added five rebounds.
 
Brackeen dished out four assists while Eboigbodin and Biyendolo each handed out three assists. Vasa blocked a game-high three shots while Eboigbodin blocked two and Biyendolo one. Eboigbodin and Biyendolo each grabbed three steals.

 
Upcoming Contests
 
With four games remaining, two wins will assure Peru State of a third-in-a-row Heart post-season berth. The Bobcats will be hosting Central Methodist (Mo.) Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles are on a three-game winning streak and are presently in sixth in the Heart. Central Methodist is 16-10 overall and 13-9 in conference play.
 
On Saturday, Peru State will travel to face Baker in Baldwin City, Kan., at 4 p.m. The Wildcats are 14-12 on the season and are 11-11 in the Heart.
 
Avila (Mo.) will be the Bobcats' opponent on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles are 3-23 on the year and are 3-19 in the Heart. Avila has lost ten in a row even though several contests have been close.
 
The Bobcats will get on the bus for a long bus ride on Feb. 25 when they head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when they meet Mount Mercy. The Mustangs are receiving votes in the last coaches' poll and have improved to 16-9 on the year and are 15-7 in the conference – good enough for a tie for fourth.