(Peru, Neb.) – The Peru State men's basketball team picked up their fourth-straight win Wednesday night as they topped Culver-Stockton 87-82 in Canton, Mo.
 
With the win, the Bobcats improved to 12-7 overall and 6-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) North. The Wildcats fell to 4-15 on the year and are 1-7 in North division play.
 
First Half Action
 
The Wildcats scored the first bucket of the contest with Marley Biyendolo (Melbourne, Australia) knotting the game at the 18:25 mark of the first half. Quantice Hunter (Chicago) would follow with a trey off an assist from LJ Westbrook (Salem, Ore.) to lead 5-2. The teams would trade leads for parts of the first half with Culver-Stockton leading 17-13 at the 13:48 mark.

 
Hunter hit a two-pointer to cut the lead to 17-15 and then Westbrook drilled a trey on an assist from Andre Frazier-Stanley (Los Angeles) to go up by one with 12:37 left in the half. Nolan Cass (Salem, Ore.) hit a bucket on an assist from Westbrook and then Biyendolo followed with a hoop to make it 22-17. Terry Moore Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.) added a two-pointer on as assist from Biyendolo as the Bobcats extended the lead to seven at 24-17 with just over ten minutes left in the half.
 
Peru State would maintain a single-digit lead for the rest of the first half and with 2:25 left, the Bobcats led 39-31 after Hunter hit a bucket in the paint. Culver-Stockton would get back within three on two occasions before the half ended, but Frazier-Stanley hit a pair of free throws to give Peru State at five-point lead at halftime at 43-38.
 
Second Half Action
 
The Bobcats would hold onto the lead for the first three minutes before Culver-Stockton went up 47-46 on a trey. A pair of free throws by Westbrook would regain the lead for Peru State.
 
Peru State would extend its lead to eight at 57-49 after Moore Jr. hit a trey off an assist from Westbrook with 14:27 left in the half. Westbrook later would give the Bobcats' lead to nine at 60-51 after making a pair of free throws.
 
At the 10:25 mark, the Wildcats pulled within two at 64-62 to give the Bobcats a little scare. Peru State would respond with a 10-2 run which was capped off with a trey by Allias Roberts-Burnett (Joliet, Ill.) on an assist from Westbrook with just over eight minutes left.

 
Culver-Stockton would not quit and pulled back within four at 80-76 with 2:48 left in the game. A pair of free throws and an old-fashioned three-point play by Westbrook put Peru State back up by nine with 71 seconds remaining. Moore Jr. added a bucket with 36 seconds left before the Wildcats finished the game with six straight points.

CULVER-STOCKTON GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
The Bobcats did not shoot the ball as well as they have been, but still won the game. Peru State made 27 of 68 field goals for 39.7% which included making just 5 of 18 from long range for 27.8%. The Bobcats won the game at the free throw line as they made 28 of 34 tries for 82.4%. The Wildcats made 29 of 71 field goals for 40.8% and connected on 11 of 27 from behind the arc for 40.7%. At the charity stripe, C-SC hit 13 of 22 for 59.1%.
 
Peru State held the rebounding edge as they grabbed 48 boards compared to 40 for the Wildcats. Culver-Stockton finished the contest with one more assist than the Bobcats as they had 17.
 
The Wildcats also had one less turnover than Peru State as they ended the game with 12 miscues. The Bobcats blocked six shots compared to three for the Wildcats. Peru State also finished with nine steals while C-SC had six.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Four Bobcats finished in double figures and were led by Westbrook who finished with a game-high 27 points. Westbrook hit all 13 of his free throw attempts. Moore Jr. added 20 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Hunter and Biyendolo added 15 and 12 points respectively.

 
Frazier-Stanley led all rebounders with 11 boards while Westbrooks finished with a double double as he added ten rebounds. Biyendolo also contributed eight boards.
 
Westbrook matched his season-high of eight assists to lead the team with Biyendolo adding three. Seth Snoddy (Daly City, Calif.) finished with two assists.
 
Frazier-Stanley blocked five shots while Snoddy finished with one. Biyendolo and Moore Jr. each had three steals.
 
Upcoming Contests
 
Peru State will host Evangel (Mo.) on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Crusaders have won their last two contests to improve to 5-14 on the year and 3-5 in the Heart South.
 
On Wednesday, Jan. 24, the Bobcats will face Clarke in Dubuque, Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. The Pride are 9-10 on the season and are 2-6 in the Heart North. Clarke lost Wednesday night to the Heart's and NAIA DI's top team William Penn (Iowa) at home.