Peru State shot 53 percent from the field and pulled away from Evangel late in the first half for a 96-76 over the Crusaders Monday night at the Ashcroft Center.
The Bobcats hit 40 of their 75 shots and built a double-digit lead late in the first half before going up 53-37 at halftime.
“We were a step slow all night,” said Evangel head coach Steve Jenkins. “Their quickness at guard caused us some problems on our offensive end and their inside players are so athletic that it makes them really hard to guard.”
The Crusaders chopped a 22-point Peru State lead down to 13 with 2:32 remaining but the Bobcats closed out the game on an 11-4 run.
Peru State guard Corday Sims led all scorers with 27 points and he grabbed 11 rebounds while Kris Frazier came off the bench to put in 21 with 12 boards.
Dylan Bekemeier led Evangel with 23 points. Cody Geiger and Jalen Norman had 14 each.
Evangel fell to 3-13 and 2-6 in the Heart of America conference. Peru State improved to 9-6 and 6-2 in the league.
Evangel is on the road Thursday to face MidAmerica Nazarene for their next game. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. in Olathe, Kansas.
Women
Evangel women’s basketball outscored Peru State 22-10 in the third quarter on their way to a 68-55 win Monday night at the Ashcroft Center.
The third quarter run helped put some distance between the Crusaders and Bobcats as Evangel led by as much as 20 in the second half after leading 30-24 at halftime.
Taylor Longley led the Crusaders with 16 points and went 4 for 7 from three-point range. Kealy Ensinger led all scorers posting 19 for the Bobcats.
Evangel owned a 53-30 rebound advantage. The Crusaders held Peru State to 31 percent shooting from the field and blocked a season high seven shots.
The win improved the Crusaders record to 5-8 and 4-4 in the Heart of America conference. Peru State dropped to 5-11 and 2-6 in the league.
Evangel is on the road for their next game as they travel to MidAmerica Nazarene on Thursday. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. in Olathe, Kansas.
