(Peru, Neb.)- A strong opening quarter and a standout defensive effort from Kylie Diaz were not enough for Peru State College on Wednesday night, as the Bobcats fell 53-44 to MidAmerica Nazarene in women's basketball action.

Peru State controlled the early tempo and led after the first quarter, but a decisive second-quarter run from the visiting Pioneers flipped the game. MidAmerica Nazarene outscored the Bobcats 20-11 in the second quarter to take the lead for good, then leaned on free throws and interior scoring in the fourth to keep Peru State at arm's length. The Bobcats were within six entering the final 10 minutes, but key layups and late free throws from the Pioneers in the closing stretch sealed the nine-point margin.

Diaz turned in one of the night's top performances, recording a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to go with six blocks as Peru State's anchor in the paint. Erison Vonderschmidt added 11 points, five rebounds and a block, giving the Bobcats a strong inside presence at both forward spots. Savannah Bingham chipped in with an early third-quarter layup that helped trim the deficit, while guards Dakota Haner and Katelyn Sanders provided perimeter sparks in the opening quarter with 3-pointers that built a 12-2 advantage less than six minutes into the game.

That early surge highlighted a strong start for the Bobcats, who held MidAmerica Nazarene to eight points in the first quarter and led 12-8 after 10 minutes. Peru State's defense protected the rim throughout, finishing with seven blocks as a team and holding the Pioneers to 29.3% shooting from the field (17-of-58) and just 11.5% from beyond the arc (3-of-26). The Bobcats also nearly matched the visitors on the glass, pulling down 43 rebounds to MidAmerica Nazarene's 45, including 13 offensive boards.

The Bobcats continued to battle in the final quarter, but MidAmerica Nazarene's efficiency at the line proved decisive. The Pioneers finished 16-for-18 at the stripe (88.9%), while Peru State went 10-for-16 (62.5%). Layups from Mackenzie Manthe and Zaylee Werth pushed the lead to eight early in the fourth, before two free throws from Kameron Green at the 5:03 mark extended the advantage to double digits at 49-39. Werth added two more free throws in the final minute to account for the final score.

Offensively, Peru State finished 16-of-58 from the field (27.6%) and 2-of-15 from 3-point range (13.3%).