(Peru, Neb.) – The Bobcat men's basketball team started the 2019 portion of their season on the right foot Wednesday night.
 
20^th-ranked Peru State topped visiting MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (MNU) 86-70 to win their fourth-straight game while improving to 11-3 overall. As this was a Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) match-up, the 'Cats improved to 6-2 in conference play.
 
The Pioneers fell to 9-5 on the season and are now 4-5 in the Heart.
 
First Half Action
 
As both teams are normally high scoring, the first half was a little slow in terms of points for the two squads.
 
Nicholas Wurm (Adelaide, South Australia) scored the first bucket of the contest at the 19:02 mark and Peru State never trailed after that point. Brandon Jones (Houston) would hit his first two-pointer of the game and Wurm then came back for a hoop to put the 'Cats up 6-0 before the Pioneers got on the board.

 
With just 4:54 on the clock, the Bobcats had their first double-digit lead of 12 as Deonte McReynolds (Chicago) hit a trey off an assist from Terry Moore, Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.). That was just the 20^th point of the game for Peru State as they led 20-8 at that time.
 
The 'Cats biggest lead came at 1:38 left in the half when KeShawn Wilson (Lincoln) hit a three-pointer on an assist from Jones as Peru State led 28-10.
 
Another trey by McReynolds preserved the 18-point advantage for the Bobcats at the end of the half as Peru State went into the locker room leading 31-13.
 
The MNU SID noted that was definitely the fewest points scored in a half by a Pioneer team in a long time.
 
Second Half Action
 
The second half was much more like what both teams had anticipated as each team shot the ball better and played more transition basketball.
 
Peru State's first 20-point lead came at the 14:59 mark when Wilson drained another trey – this time off an assist from Wurm. The 'Cats led 44-24 at that point.
 
The Pioneers would not go away though and many times battled back to within 13 points and eventually pulled within 12 points late in the game at the 3:54 mark. Peru State was leading 76-64 at that time.
 
The Bobcats would then get a pair of free throws by Moore Jr. and then another trey by McReynolds pretty much sealed the deal for the 'Cats as they led 81-64 with 2:14 on the clock.
 
With 1:43 on the clock, the Pioneers threw in the towel and put in their subs and Peru State did likewise.
 
The Bobcats went on then for the 86-70 victory.

MIDAMERICA NAZARENE GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Peru State connected on 30 of 64 field goal tries for 46.9% and hit 12 of 27 from behind the arc for 44.4%. At the free throw line, the 'Cats made 14 of 18 for 77.8%. After shooting only 20% in the first half, the Pioneers shot a blistering 61% in the second 20 minutes to end up shooting 43.6% overall on the night from the floor. They made 24 of 55 which included making 9 of 23 from long range for 39.1%. At the charity stripe, MNU went 13 of 16 for 81.3%.
 
The Bobcats had a slight rebounding edge as they grabbed 34 boards compared to 27 for the Pioneers. MNU dished out 14 assists while the 'Cats had 12 dimes.
 
MidAmerica Nazarene finished with one more turnover than Peru State as they had 13. The Bobcats blocked six shots and grabbed eight steals while the Pioneers finished with three steals.
 
Peru Player Statistics
 
Five Bobcats finished in double figures for a very-balanced scoring output. McReynolds had a game- and season-high 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting which included making 6 of 8 from three-point range. Wilson matched his previous season-high of 17 points while Jones added 12 points. Hexom contributed 11 points and Wurm finished with ten.
 
Hexom finished with a double-double as he grabbed ten team-high rebounds. McReynolds added six boards while Jones finished with five.
 
Wurm and Jones each dished out three assists while Wilson and Moore Jr. each had two dimes. Hexom blocked three shots with Jones, Wilson, and Jamil Maddred (Camden, N.J.) each were credited with one.
 
Wurm nabbed three steals while Hexom and Jones each had two.  
Upcoming Games
 
Peru State will be on the road on Saturday when they take on Mount Mercy at 4 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Mustangs are 9-5 overall and are 4-4 in the Heart. Mount Mercy topped Missouri Valley Wednesday night.
 
The 'Cats will be back in action at home Thursday night, January 10, when they host the Benedictine (Kan.) Ravens at 7:30 p.m. Presently, the Ravens are 12^th-ranked in the most recent NAIA DI Coaches' Poll and are 12-2 on the year. Benedictine is unbeaten in Heart action and have an 8-0 mark.