(Peru, Neb.) – It took an overtime, but the Peru State men's basketball team picked up their 12^th win of the 2018-19 season. The Bobcats won 88-80 in overtime over the home-standing Mount Mercy Mustangs Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
With the win, Peru State improved to 12-3 on the season with their fifth-straight victory. More importantly, the 'Cats are now 7-2 in the Heart of the America Athletic Conference (Heart). The Mustangs fell to 9-6 overall and are now 4-5 in conference action.

 
First Half Action
 
With 27 seconds off the clock, KeShawn Wilson (Lincoln) hit a bucket to give the 'Cats their first lead of the game at 2-0.
 
The game was tied three times early with the third tie coming at 10-10 at the 16:07 mark.
 
At that point, the Mustangs would go on to take an early lead and eventually led by as many as six on two different occasions. Mount Mercy's last six-point advantage came at 26-20 with 10:20 left in the first 20 minutes.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers by Deonte McReynolds (Chicago), the first off an assist from and the second off an assist from Terry Moore Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.) tied the game at 26 each at the 8:46 mark.
 
McReynolds would then dish an assist to Lyle Hexom (Omaha) who would hit a bucket to put the Bobcats up 28-26. A pair of free throws by the Mustangs would tie it later at 28-28.
 
Michael Wardy (Roca), who was playing his most extensive time of the season, made one of two free throws to give the 'Cats the lead for what would be the rest of the first 20 minutes.

 
With 1:57 left in the half, Jamil Maddred (Camden, N.J.) hit a trey off an assist from Wilson to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the first half at 43-32.
 
The Mustangs would finish the half with a 9-0 run to pull back within two to make the halftime score 43-41.
 
Second Half Action
 
The Bobcats would have the lead the whole second half until the very end.
 
Peru State would have its first double-digit lead at 61-50 after McReynolds hit a two-pointer with 13:19 left in the contest.
 
The 'Cats would have its largest lead of 17 at 76-53 after Moore Jr. hit a bucket in the paint at the 7:12 mark.
 
After Mount Mercy hit a hoop and then called a timeout, Maddred scored in the paint to put the lead back to 17 with 6:26 left in the game.
 
That would be win the Mustangs caught fire and Peru State went cold. Mount Mercy would score 15 straight to pull within five at 75-70 with just over two minutes left in the game.
 
Wilson would come up with a big bucket to make it 77-70 and the 'Cats called a timeout. The Mustangs would then get a trey followed by a steal which led to a pair of free throws which were made to cut the lead to two at 77-75. With 21 seconds left, Mount Mercy tied the game at 77-77.
 
A last-second shot by the 'Cats missed and the game went into overtime.

 
Overtime Action
 
Mount Mercy took the first lead of the overtime by scoring a trey which would be their only points of the five-minute period.
 
A three-pointer by Hexom tied the game with 3:56 left in OT and then Wilson would score in the paint to give the Bobcats the lead for good. Moore Jr. would hit a bucket in the paint off an assist from McReynolds.
 
McReynolds would score the final four points of the game with a pair of free throws and then a bucket with 34 seconds left for the final 88-80 score.

MOUNT MERCY GAME BOOK
 
Team Statistics
 
Both teams shot the ball well as Peru State finished the game making 34 of 69 field goal tries for 49.3% including hitting 14 of 32 from three-point distance for 43.8%. At the free throw line, the Bobcats went 6 of 8 for 75%. Mount Mercy made 26 of 64 field goals for 40.6% and also were good from long range hitting 14 of 33 for 42.4%. At the charity stripe, the Mustangs made 14 of 20 for 70%.
 
The 'Cats had a big rebounding advantage as they grabbed 49 boards compared to 30 for Mount Mercy. The Mustangs did dish out a few more assists as they finished with 20 compared to 16 for the 'Cats.
 
Peru State did have more turnovers as they had 19 miscues compared to 12 for Mount Mercy. Both teams blocked two shots. The Mustangs were credited with nine steals while the 'Cats had just one.

 
Peru Player Statistics
 
Five Bobcats finished in double digits in scoring. They were led by McReynolds and Nicholas Wurm (Adelaide, Australia) who both finished with 19 points. Hexom added 18 points while Maddred finished with 12. Wilson was the other Bobcat in double figures as he added 11.
 
Hexom finished with a game-high 17 rebounds while McReynolds added eight.
 
Wilson dished out five assists with Moore Jr. adding three. Hexom and Wilson were each credited with one block while Maddred had the lone steal.
 
Upcoming Games
 
The Bobcats play a pair of home contests this week with a big game coming Thursday night when Peru State hosts Benedictine (Kan.) at 7:30 p.m. The Ravens are on a 12-game winning streak and are 13-2 on the season. They are 9-0 in the Heart and are 12^th-ranked in NAIA DI.
 
Clarke (Iowa) will be the opponents on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Pride are in a log jam in the middle of the pack of the Heart with a 4-5 conference mark. Overall, Clarke is now 6-9.