(St. Louis, Mo.)- A decisive third-quarter surge and late-game composure at the free-throw line lifted the Peru State women's basketball team to a 70-65 road win over Missouri Baptist on Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats outscored Missouri Baptist 23-18 in the third quarter to turn a halftime deficit into a lead they would not relinquish, then held off a late Spartan push in the final seconds. Peru State led 65-55 after a layup from Erison Vonderschmidt with 2:45 remaining and, despite Missouri Baptist trimming the margin to five in the closing moments, the Bobcats closed the door with clutch free throws to secure the victory.
Vonderschmidt powered the Bobcats with a game-high 23 points, five rebounds and two assists while shooting 8 of 15 from the field and 7 of 8 at the line in 37 minutes. She was joined in double figures by Savannah Bingham, who added 14 points and four rebounds, and MaKinley Tobey, who finished with 12 points and five boards. Center Kylie Diaz provided a near double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks, going a perfect 6 of 6 at the free-throw line.
Peru State set the tone defensively in the first quarter, holding Missouri Baptist to nine points while building a 15-9 lead behind early baskets from Vonderschmidt. The Bobcats pushed the margin to 17-9 on a Vonderschmidt layup early in the second, and Tobey's 3-pointer made it 26-18 midway through the period. Missouri Baptist responded with a strong run to close the half, eventually tying the game at 30-30 on a late layup, and carried that momentum into the locker room after outscoring the Bobcats 23-15 in the second quarter.The game turned in the third quarter as Peru State's offense found its rhythm from the perimeter and in transition. After the Spartans briefly grabbed a 36-32 lead, Bingham knocked down a 3-pointer to pull the Bobcats within one at 35-36. Later in the quarter, another Bobcats flurry changed the tone: a 3-pointer from Dakota Haner put Peru State in front 42-38, and a fastbreak layup by Vonderschmidt stretched the advantage to 46-38 as the Bobcats seized control heading into the fourth.
Peru State maintained its edge in the final quarter with timely scoring and defensive stops. Tobey opened the period with a layup to make it 55-50, and Bingham followed with a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 58-50. The Bobcats continued to attack inside, with Vonderschmidt's layup giving them a 10-point cushion at 65-55. Missouri Baptist's Paula Puzule hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 68-63, but Diaz calmly sank two free throws with five seconds left to effectively seal the result before a final Spartan layup set the 70-65 final.
Peru State shot 47.9% from the field (23 of 48) and 33.3% from 3-point range (6 of 18), while converting 78.3% of its free throws (18 of 23). The Bobcats held a 40-31 advantage on the glass and scored 34 points in the paint.
