(Peru, Neb.) – After a teammate missed a three-point attempt with a couple seconds left in the game, Bobcat Nolan Cass (Spring, Texas) grabbed the offensive rebound and put it in at the buzzer. It proved to be the game winner for Peru State as they topped Graceland 76-74 in Lamoni, Iowa, Wednesday night.
 
The game, which was a Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) North Division match-up, was a key early season game. At the end of the contest, both teams are now 10-7 overall and are 4-2 in the Heart North.
 
First Half Action
 

Graceland jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the contest before L.J. Westbrook (Salem, Ore.) hit a bucket with 17:18 to go. The Yellowjackets added another three points before Quantice Hunter (Chicago) hit a trey on an assist from Dominique Bell (Houston) to make it 12-5 with 14:13 on the clock. Hunter then made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to five.
 
The Yellowjackets would get another bucket before Allias Roberts-Burnett (Joliet, Ill.) hit a bucket off an assist from Hunter. Terry Moore Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.) added a hoop to make it 14-11 before Hunter nailed a three-pointer to tie it at 14-14 of an assist from Westbrook at the 10:41 mark. Marley Biyendolo (Melbourne, Australia) gave Peru State a 16-14 lead as he hit a field goal off an assist from Westbrook. The game would go back and forth for the next couple of minutes with Peru State still leading a 22-21 after Westbrook hitting a bucket at the 6:46 mark.
 
Graceland would again score nine straight points to lead 30-22 before Noah Vasa (Nebraska City) would score off an assist from Bell. The 'Jackets would later increase their lead to ten at 34-24 before back-to-back treys by Hunter and Cass would cut the lead to four and then Bell scored off an assist from Cass to make it 34-32. A trey by the Yellowjackets ended the first half with Graceland leading 37-32.
 
Second Half Action
 
Hunter dished off an assist to Moore Jr. to start the second half before the Yellowjackets would score five unanswered points to go up by eight at 42-34 with 17:43 to go in the game. Graceland would continue to increase its lead to 12 at 48-36 later with 16:14 remaining. Moore Jr. would stop the run with a bucket on an assist from Westbrook. Westbrook would then make four consecutive free throws to make it 48-42 at the 13:56 mark.
 
Peru State took its first lead of the second half with 9:52 to go after Hunter hit a field goals. Cass followed with a trey on an assist from Hunter to extend the lead to 59-55. Graceland would then score eight straight to lead again by six with 6:25 left in the game. The Yellowjackets would maintain the lead until 56 seconds left in the second half when Hunter knotted the contest at 74-74 which forced a Yellowjacket timeout.
 
Graceland had several opportunities to score as they missed a field goal and then missed two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Andre Frazier-Stanley (Los Angeles) grabbed a defensive rebound on the second free throw miss to give the 'Cats life. Hunter's missed three-point attempt was grabbed by Cass who put up a shot that banked in for the win at the buzzer.

GRACELAND GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Both teams shot the ball well from the floor. The Bobcats made 30 of 59 field goals for 50.8% which included making 9 of 25 from long range for 36%. At the free throw line, the 'Cats made 7 of 9 for 77.8%. Graceland made 28 of 62 field goal attempts for 45.2% and connected on 7 of 25 from behind the arc for 28%. The Yellowjackets made 11 of 16 charity attempts for 68.8%.
 
Graceland had a slight edge in rebounding as they grabbed 37 boards compared to 30 for the 'Cats. Peru State dished out 17 assists while the Yellowjackets finished with 15. Both teams finished with ten turnovers.
 
Peru State blocked five shots while the 'Jackets finished with two. Graceland had seven steals compared to six for the Bobcats.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Four Bobcats finished in double figures and were led by Hunter as the finished with 22. Coming off the bench, Cass added 17 while Moore Jr. added 15. Westbrook finished the game with ten.
 
Frazier-Stanley led the team with six boards while Vasa added five. Westbrook dished out a game-high five assists with Hunter handing out four and Bell added three.

 
Frazier-Stanley had two blocks while Moore Jr., Cass, and Vasa each finished with one block. Westbrook tied for game-high honors with four steals.
 
Upcoming Contests
 
Saturday's contest with Mount Mercy (Iowa) at 2 p.m. is another key match-up in Heart North play as both teams will enter the contest with 4-2 conference marks. Overall, the Mustangs are 9-7 on the year.
 
Wednesday night, Peru State will be in Canton, Mo., facing Culver-Stockton at 7:30 p.m. The usually tough Wildcats are struggling this season at 4-13 overall and 1-5 in conference play. But, their lone conference win was over MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), a team which beat the Bobcats on January 3.