(St. Louis, Mo.)- A decisive second-half surge and closing free throws carried Peru State to a 76-68 road win over Missouri Baptist on Saturday afternoon, as Denim Johnson capped a 21-point performance with a breakaway dunk in the final seconds to seal the conference victory.

The Bobcats led wire to wire after the opening stages, building a 31-24 advantage by halftime and stretching the margin to as many as 17 points in the second half. Missouri Baptist mounted a late push and trimmed the deficit to single digits in the closing minutes, but Peru State's efficiency at the foul line and timely perimeter shooting kept the Spartans from completing the comeback.

Johnson anchored the Peru State offense, finishing 7-for-10 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free-throw line while adding four rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes. Victor Lado supplied 17 points and six rebounds, including an early 3-pointer that put the Bobcats in front 10-9 and helped spark a first-half run. Guard Ty Griggs added 15 points and three assists, going 6-for-7 at the stripe as Peru State closed the game 19-for-22 (86.4%) on free throws.

Peru State shot 43.1% from the floor (25-of-58) and 35% from 3-point range (7-of-20), balancing its perimeter attack with strong work on the glass. The Bobcats finished with a 39-32 edge in total rebounds, including 12 offensive boards that generated extra possessions. Defensively, Peru State forced 14 combined missed free throws from Missouri Baptist and limited the Spartans to just five made 3-pointers on 16 attempts. 

After taking control late in the first half on a Johnson 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 22-15 and a jumper in the final minute for a 31-24 cushion at the break, Peru State broke the game open early in the second half. Christian Tidiane buried a 3-pointer at the 15:28 mark to make it 42-31 and connected again from long range with 9:31 remaining to extend the lead to 55-38. That stretch keyed the Bobcats' largest advantage of the afternoon as their defense strung together stops and controlled the boards.

Missouri Baptist responded behind the play of Preston Fortner and Tyson Williams. Fortner totaled 15 points, four assists and five steals while hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and Williams matched him with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Spartans shot 47.5% from the field (29-of-61) but struggled to capitalize at the line, going 5-of-14 (35.7%), a disparity that loomed large against Peru State's near-automatic effort at the stripe.

Even as Missouri Baptist chipped away late, Johnson's dunk with one second remaining effectively closed the door, briefly pushing the margin to 76-65 before a Fortner 3-pointer at the buzzer set the final at 76-68.