(Peru, Neb.)—The Peru State men's basketball team defeated MidAmerica Nazarene 89-76 on Saturday evening. The Bobcats are now 18-6 overall and 13-5 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play while the Pioneers fall to 17-7 overall and 12-6 in conference play.
 
Below is a breakdown of how the game went…
 
It was a tightly contested affair throughout the entire first half as neither team could go on a run and each team were trading buckets back-and-forth for most of the half. Peru State had a one-point lead up 16-15 with 13 minutes to go after David Wingett Jr. (Winnebago) after an and-one.
 
MidAmerica Nazarene then went on a quick 9-4 run to take a four-point 24-20 lead with around seven and a half minutes to play. The Pioneers then would lead by four for the next couple of minutes before the Bobcats went on a 7-1 run to take a 31-29 lead with four minutes remaining in the first.
 
Contributing to the run was an old fashioned three-point play by Sayvon Traylor (Atlanta) a basket by Jibril Harris (Chicago) and free throws by Wingett Jr.
 
The Pioneers then tied the game at 31 all with under four minutes to play. Peru State then went on a 5-0 run capped off by a Wingett Jr. jumper as they were leading 36-31 with around two minutes to play.
 
Peru State was clinging onto a three point lead 38-35 going into the locker rooms.
 
The Bobcats opened up the second half on a 10-5 run to take a nine-point 48-39 lead. Contributing to the run were baskets by Wingett Jr., Troy Houghton (Omaha), Man Man Baker (Aurora, Colo.), Lorenzo Anderson (Lithonia, Ga.) and Christian Tidiane (Council Bluffs, Iowa).
 
MidAmerica Nazarene trimmed down the lead to seven a few times early in the second half, but then the Bobcats extended its lead back out to ten after a Tidiane three-pointer.
 
Later in the second half the Bobcats were leading by nine 62-53 before they went on a big run with ten minutes left to play. Peru State then went on a 13-2 run capped off by an Anderson three-pointer to go up by 20 points leading 75-55.
 
Peru State from there was in firm control of the game up 19 85-66 before MidAmerica Nazarene would cut the lead down to 13 trailing 85-72. The run for the Pioneers was a little too late as the Bobcats won 89-76 for their 18^th win of the year.
 
Peru State shot 37-of-58 from the field shooting 63.8%, 5-of-11 from deep shooting 45.5% and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe shooting 90.9%.
 
MidAmerica Nazarene shot 31-of-59 from the field shooting 52.5%, 2-of-16 from the three-point line shooting 12.5% and 12-of-15 from the line shooting 80%.
 
Peru State outscored MidAmerica Nazarene 66-61 in the paint, the Pioneers outscored the Bobcats 17-9 in points off turnovers and The Bobcats outscored the Pioneers 17-6 off the bench.
 
Baker led the team in points with 19, Wingett Jr. had 17, Houghton put in 14, Anderson and Harris each poured in 11 and Traylor finished with 10.
 
Peru State hosts Benedictine this Wednesday, February 8. Tip-Off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.