(Peru, Neb.)- Peru State came up one possession short in a classic down-to-the-wire finish, falling 66-65 to Baker (Kan.) on Wednesday night at the Al Wheeler Activity Center in Peru. The Bobcats led by as many as 16 points in the first half and held a slim advantage in the final minute before a late Baker layup flipped the result in the conference matchup. 

The decisive sequence unfolded in the final 70 seconds. With Peru State clinging to a 62-61 lead, Baker buried a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining to put the Wildcats in front 64-62. The Bobcats answered quickly, as Christian Tidiane stepped into a 3 from the wing with 51 seconds left, swinging the lead back to Peru State at 65-64. Baker responded once more, and this time for good, when Cam Jones drove for a go-ahead layup with 11 seconds on the clock to make it 66-65. On the ensuing possession, Peru State turned the ball over as time expired to seal the one-point decision.

Despite the narrow loss, Peru State turned in an efficient offensive performance, shooting 50.0 percent from the field (20-of-40) and 46.2 percent from 3-point range (6-of-13). The Bobcats also capitalized at the foul line, finishing 19-of-21 for 90.5 percent. Baker countered with volume, attempting 15 more shots from the floor and finishing 24-of-55 overall (43.6 percent) and 6-of-21 from distance, while earning a slight edge in turnovers, committing just eight compared to 14 for Peru State.

Tidiane led the Bobcats with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting night, including a perfect 3-of-3 at the foul line and his clutch go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute. Quentin Wright added 16 points, connecting on 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists as a steady presence on both ends. Ty Griggs gave Peru State another double-figure scorer with 10 points and four assists, knocking down 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from long range while helping organize the Bobcats' offense.

Peru State's aggressive start set the tone early. The Bobcats raced out to a 22-6 advantage in the first half, punctuated by a dunk from Louisville, Ky., native Victor Lado that energized the home crowd and pushed the margin to 16. Baker slowly chipped away behind Tucker, who hit a 3-pointer with 6:44 left in the opening half to trim the deficit to 24-18. Peru State maintained control into the break, however, with Wright knocking down a free throw at the horn to send the Bobcats into halftime leading 32-24.

Peru State controlled the boards 29-27 and matched Baker with two blocks