Mustangs fall at Peru State

PERU, Neb. -- The Mount Mercy men's basketball team went on the road to Peru State on Saturday looking for their first win of the season, but the Bobcats had other ideas and handed the Mustangs a 91-46 defeat in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at Al Wheeler Activity Center.

Peru State (5-1, 1-1 Heart) opened up a 16-point halftime lead and then blitzed Mount Mercy (0-5, 0-2 Heart) in the second period, 55-26. While the Bobcats shot just over 50 percent from the floor, the Mustangs struggled offensively, shooting 27.1 percent overall and 5-of-23 from 3-point range. Peru State also held a 45-28 advantage on the glass.

Mount Mercy didn't have a double-digit scorer, with Will Raife putting up a team best nine points off the bench. Jaxson Fried added eight points and five rebounds. Jakari Bradley scored seven while Ryan Bartley, the team's leading scorer at better than 16 points per game, was limited to five on Saturday. He also had five boards and a pair of steals. Rusmir Hamzic and Anthony Horton, Jr. also scored five points each.

David Wingett Jr. led all scorers with 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out five assists. Sayvon Taylor and Luke Lee chipped in 13 points apiece, Ajantae Hogan finished with 12.

Mount Mercy hosts William Penn (2-5, 1-2 Heart) on Tuesday at 7:30 pm at Hennessey Recreation Center in Cedar Rapids.