Park University's men's basketball program took on Peru State College on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in Peru, Neb. but suffered defeat against the Bobcats on their home court.
Park drops to 7-9 and 5-7 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, while the Bobcats step up to 9-7 and 5-7 in conference play.

It was a difficult start for the Pirates, as a 16-0 run opened up the game for the Bobcats over 5:32. DeMarcus Hudson last week's Heart Player of the Week got Park on the board with a three-pointer.

From 12:13 to 9:38 the Pirates were able get back in their rhythm with a 12-5 run to bring the deficit to just 10, 27-17. AJ Watson and Hudson were firing it well from behind the arc with back-to-back three-pointers to cap off that run. Minutes later an 8-0 run the other way helped the Bobcats regain control 38-19 with 6:10 remaining in the half. Hudson and Watson combined for five three-pointers in the first half, but it was overshadowed by nine first half threes by Peru State, including five from Sayvon Traylor. Peru State held a tight grip on the flow of the game and led 55-33 at half.

Jasigha Barnes made two free-throws to begin the second half, but Park would only score two additional free-throws by Eli Habighorst in the first five minutes of the half, while Peru State outscored Park with 16 points for a 71-37 lead at 15:13. Barnes led the charge in the second half with nine points, which included 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. From 14:55 to 13:32, Peru State added to the lead with an 8-2 scoring run to reach a 40-point lead, 79-39. The Pirates never led in the game, while the Bobcats exponentially grew their lead to 46 with 41 seconds remaining, 111-65. The final of this one was 111-69 as Peru State made 20 three-pointers in the contest.

Peru State shot high percentages in every category, 57.4-percent from the field, 58.8-percent from three, and 86.7-percent from the free-throw line. The Pirates shot 31.1-percent, 33.3-percent, and 64-percent in the same categories.

The Pirates did a nice job taking care of the ball with only six turnovers to the Bobcats' 12.

The Bobcats owned the boards with 46 rebounds to Park's 32, not to mention 11 blocks by Peru State.

Hudson led Park with 19 points and Watson was only one basket back at 17 points. Barnes nearly reached double-figures with nine points, while Jaden Robinson contributed six points over the course of the game.

Augusto Hausmann led Park with five rebounds, followed by Christian Bradford and Ashton Holloway with four rebounds each.

The Pirates will take on MidAmerica Nazarene University next on Thursday, January 18 at 7:30pm in Breckon Sports Center. WATCH
Box Score