(Peru, Neb.) – The Peru State men's basketball team was handed its first defeat of the 2018-19 season Saturday afternoon as the Concordia Bulldogs went home with a 77-71 win.
 
The Bobcats looked sluggish the entire game while Concordia was hot from the floor – especially from long range. The Bulldogs connected on 46.2% of their three-point attempts while winning their sixth game of the year against three losses.
 
Peru State dropped to 5-1 on the season after the non-conference match-up.

 
First Half Action
 
The first half was tight throughout as there were nine ties and eight lead changes. The largest lead of the game was five by the Bobcats while Concordia led by three at one point.
 
Concordia scored first with a trey just 29 seconds into the contest. Brandon Jones (Houston) grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make it 3-2 with 19:02 on the clock. About a minute later DeMon Hyler (Kansas City, Mo.) made one of two free throws to tie it up.
 
The game was then tied at 5-5, 7-7, and later at 10-10 before Lyle Hexom (Omaha) hit a bucket after grabbing an offensive rebound. Hexom then drained a trey off an assist from Hyler to give the 'Cats their largest lead of five at 15-10 with 14:42 left in the first half.
 
The Bulldogs would come back to tie it at 15-15 before Nicholas Wurm (Adelaide, Australia) hit a bucket in the paint to break the tie. But, Concordia would come back once again and tie it at 17-17 with 11:12 to go in the first 20 minutes.
 
Several more ties would occur with the next-to-last coming at 30-30 with 5:27 left. After that, the Bulldogs drained one of their treys to take their largest lead of the half at 33-30.
 
Hyler would knot it up at 33-33 off an assist from Hexom and then Deonte McReynolds (Chicago) would break the tie with a bucket in the paint off an assist from Jones.
 
With 16 seconds remaining, another Bulldog trey would give Concordia a 39-37 lead at halftime.
 
Second Half Action
 
A three-pointer by McReynolds started the second half gave the Bobcats a 40-39 lead to start the second half.
 
After the Bulldogs scored, Jones hit a hoop on an assist from Hyler to put the Bobcats up 43-41 only to see Concordia score the next five points.
 
Concordia would maintain a lead until the 6:17 mark when Jones made a pair of free throws to tie it at 59-59. Once again, the Bulldogs would score five straight points and the 'Cats would not ever lead again.
 
The Bulldogs led by as many as nine at 77-68 before Hyler hit a trey for the final score of the contest.

CONCORDIA GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics

 
Concordia made 26 of 56 for 46.4% and was almost as hot from behind the arc for 12 of 26 for 46.2%. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 13 of 16 tries for 81.3%. Peru State connected on 27 of 71 field goals for 38% and made 9 of 27 from long range for 33.3%. The Bobcats made 8 of 12 from the free throw line for 66.7%.
 
The Bulldogs grabbed one more rebound that the 'Cats as they had 37 boards. Peru State dished out two more assists as they finished with 15.
 
Concordia had 13 turnovers compared to nine for the Bobcats. The Bulldogs blocked six shots while the 'Cats blocked four. Peru State nabbed seven steals compared to three for Concordia.
 
Peru Player Statistics
 
Peru State had three players finish in double figures with Jones leading the way with 18 points while Hexom added 13. Hyler contributed 11 points while McReynolds and Wurm each finished with nine points.

Hexom and Jones both finished with double-doubles as they grabbed 13 and ten rebounds respectively.
 
Hexom and Jones each dished out four assists while Wurm handed out three. Hexom blocked two shots while McReynolds and Wurm were each credited with one block. KeShawn Wilson (Lincoln) nabbed three steals with Wurm grabbing two.
 
Upcoming Contests
 
The Bobcats will finish the semester with five straight Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) match-ups.
 
Peru State will host defending national champion Graceland (Iowa) Tuesday night at approximately 7:30 p.m. as Mother Nature moved the game back one night. The Yellowjackets saw their six-game winning streak snapped as they fell to NCAA DII Colorado Mesa 69-66 in a tournament in Colorado over the weekend. Graceland was to have played an additional game, but it was cancelled.
 
The 'Cats will then travel for three-straight games. They will first head to Springfield, Mo., to take on Evangel at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Crusaders are off to a 1-5 start and 0-2 in the Heart. It should be noted that all of Evangel's games, but two, have been close.