(Peru, Neb.)—On Monday night the Peru State men's basketball team defeated Missouri Valley College 78-67 in Marhsall, Mo. The Bobcats now improve to 14-14 overall and 8-9 in conference play. The Vikings fall to 13-14 overall and 5-12 in conference play.

The Bobcats and the Vikings played a tight first four minutes as both teams scored seemingly on every possession. Then the Bobcats went on a 15-2 run leading the Vikings 22-12 with just above 13 minutes to play in the first half.

The Vikings then stormed back to cut the ten-point lead to three with a 10-3 run of their own as the Bobcats were clinging to a 25-22 lead. The Bobcats quickly extended their lead from a pair of threes by Isaac Simpson (Papillion) and just like that the lead was back out to eight.

The score was stuck with the Bobcats leading 34-25 around the five-minute mark after Peru State went on a 10-3 run of their own. The Bobcats got their lead up to 15 with under four minutes to play in the half.

The Bobcats would lead 44-32 at the half as they held the Vikings to seven points for the last six minutes of the first half. In the first half Donzell Johnson (Bloomington, Illinois) was on fire from deep as he hit four triples.

Johnson started the second still on fire as he drilled another three pointer to open the second half. The Vikings cut the lead to ten early in the second half, but the Bobcats would not let Missouri Valley get the game down to the single digits in the first part of the second half.

Later, in the second half the Bobcats went on a 9-0 run capped off by another Johnson three pointer .The Bobcats now led 63-44 with 13 minutes in the game. The Vikings would get the game into single digits with 10:50 to go.

The Vikings eventually cut the lead to five as the went on a 16-2 run and the Bobcats had a 65-60 lead with just over eight minutes in the game. The Bobcats responded right away with a 9-0 run of their own this time capped off by a jumper from Man Man Baker (Aurora, Colorado).

The Vikings cut the lead to ten once more, but it was too little too late as the Bobcats secured the victory 78-67.

Here is what head coach Bob Ludwig had to say about the Valentine's Day win.

"It was great to see us fight off their run after another early lead," said Ludwig. "Several guys played well, but Man Man's scoring and offensive rebounding was key."

Coach Ludwig wants to see a big crowd for senior night.

"I hope the campus community comes out to support our seniors on Wednesday night," said Ludwig. "Henry (Tanksley), Isaac (Simpson) and Blake (Petersen) have been amazing student athletes that we've loved coaching. We are excited to honor them before the game."

Coach Ludwig also has a little incentive to get to the Al Wheeler Activity Center Wednesday night.

"Admission is free, and we'll have free Valentino's for the first 150 people!"

Peru State shot 28-of-57 from the field good for 49.1%, Missouri Valley shot 24-of-56 shooting 42.9% from the field. The Bobcats hit 13 triples on 34 attempts shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc while the Vikings shot 5-of-19 as they were 26.7% from deep. Both teams went to the free throw line a fair amount as the Bobcats were 9-of-15 good for 60% and the Vikings were 14-of-17 from the line good for 82.4%. The Peru State bench came up big as they scored 31 points comparatively to Missouri Valley's who had 20.

Four Bobcats were in double-figures as Johnson led the way with 22 points, Baker was in second with 18 and nearly recorded a triple-double as he had nine rebounds and seven assists. Troy Houghton (Omaha) did end up with a double-double as he finished with ten points and ten boards. Rounding out the double-figuring scoring was Jibril Harris (Chicago) with ten points.

The Bobcats return to their home floor one final time this season for senior night. The seniors will be recognized before the game. The Bobcats host Culver-Stockton in a pivotal matchup for their playoff hopes. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.