(Peru, Neb)—On Wednesday evening the Peru State women's basketball team defeated Culver-Stockton 66-56. The Bobcats improve to 11-16 overall and 6-12 in conference play, while the Wildcats fall to 13-14 overall and 7-11 in conference play.

In the first quarter of play, neither team could get a large lead. The Bobcats then went on their first run of the game as they went on a 14-2 spurt to close out the first quarter as Julie Miller (Easton, Kan.) hit a jumper to take the 19-10 lead.

Early in the second quarter the Bobcats extended their lead to 13 before the Wildcats even got a point on the board. The Wildcats would score the next four points trimming the lead to single digits with 6:46 to play.

The Bobcats would then keep the lead right around nine points for much of the second quarter. Peru State extended its lead to 12 right before the half from a jumper by Jescenia Mosley (Shenandoah, Iowa) as the 'Cats would take the 34-22 lead into the break.

Peru State came out right where they left off in the first half as they went on a 10-2 run, this time capped off by a Maddy Duncan (Hamburg, Iowa) three-point shot. The Bobcats lead reached 18 points leading 44-26 with just under five minutes to play in the game.

The Wildcats tried to climb back into the game as they went on a quick 5-0 run themselves, but that was quickly negated by a Natasha Deal (Winnebago) layup and Mosley three-pointer.

The Bobcats would lead 54-40 heading into the final quarter of play. The Wildcats would make it interesting as they quickly got the lead back down to nine points. Then with 6:22 to play Hailey Ingram (Omaha) hit a huge three-pointer to get the Bobcat lead back up to double-digits.

The Wildcats then went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to six with 3:32 remaining. Culver-Stockton  cut it down to five with 2:22 to play. The 'Cats came up big down the stretch as the Wildcats would not score again sitting at 55 points. Mosley and Duncan knocked down clutch free throws to seal the deal.

Here's what head coach Ian Holleran had to say about the win.

"Last night was a very big win for our program," said Holleran. "We came out for the first time in awhile and played a really good first half."

Holleran continued…

"In the previous losses slow starts have been our downfall. Culver-Stockton made a run in the second half, but we were able to make some plays down the stretch to get a much-needed win. Very proud of our team for getting the job done."

Peru State shot 24-of-59 from the field good for 40.7%, while Culver-Stockton shot 20-of-63 shooting 31.7% from the floor. The Bobcats knocked down eight threes on 20 attempts good for 40% from deep, while the Wildcats shot 5-of-17 from beyond the arc shooting 29.4%. Despite going to the line half as many times as Culver-Stockton, Peru State knocked down 10-of-12 for 83.3% clip while Culver-Stockton was just 11-of-24 shooting 45.8%.

Duncan was the leader in points on the day as she scored 20, Miller came in second with 14 points and she nearly had her second double-double in as many games as she recorded nine boards. Mosley rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points on the night.

Peru State is on the road one final time this weekend as they head to Lamoni, Iowa to take on Graceland. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.