Late second half woes doom Pride in loss at Peru State

PERU, Neb. - Looking to snap their early Heart of America Athletic Conference skid, the Clarke University men's basketball team was unable to put a full 40-minutes together in a 72-51 loss at Peru State College on Saturday afternoon.

Jumping ahead to the final 11 minutes of the game, where the Bobcats held a four-point lead at 46-42 before a steal leading to a layup would begin what would end up being a 15-0 run over about a four-minute stretch that put the home team up 61-42, their largest lead of the game at the time.

Clarke was unable to pull much closer than a 13-point deficit after getting the next three baskets right after that run, but PSC was able to fend off any kind of a CU comeback over the final three minutes of the game.

The three-point shot made a major difference in the game with the Bobcats finishing the game 12-for-35 (34.3%) from deep compared to only four makes on 19 attempts beyond the arc (21.1%) for Clarke that would produce a 24-point difference in the eventual 21-point win for Peru State.

The lone member of the Pride to finish in double figures was sophomore Sunny Parker, who scored 16 points on 8-of-17 (47.1%) shooting from the field while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

The game's leading scorer was Peru State's Victor Lado, who poured in 20 points on 8-of-13 (61.5%) shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double as Caleb Iheukwu added 17 points off the bench and Jamal Hollins also produced a 10-rebound game in a game where PSC outrebounded Clarke 47-22, including grabbing 18 offensive boards to lead to 20 second chance points.

Pride men's basketball will have most of Thanksgiving Week off from game action before they swing back into non-conference play for a home game a week from Saturday when they host Midland University on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Kehl Center for a 12:00 p.m. CT opening tip.