Wildcats Lock Up No. 2 Seed with 78-76 Victory over Bobcats in Regular-Season Finale

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – (RV) Baker men's basketball came out on top of a back-and-forth battle with Peru State, 78-76 in the regular-season finale here Wednesday night in the Collins Center, securing the No. 2 seed for the Wildcats for next week's Heart Tournament.

With Baker only hitting half as many as the 10 threes that the Bobcats made, the Wildcats shot over 50 percent from the floor (53.2%) and held a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint to close out the regular season with their 20th victory overall.

Quentin Harvey led a patented balanced BU attack with 18 points, including a huge three to put the Wildcats up by three with just over two minutes left in the game. Ty Henry delivered a do-it-all stretch at a crucial spot in the second half, scoring eight straight points to finish with 17 for the game. Noah Rigatuso had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The first half featured a lightning-quick pace with very few stoppages and just five fouls called in the whole 20 minutes of action with PSC being awarded the only two free throws of the half.

Mahgoub started off with the first five points for BU, splashing in a game-opening trey before adding a nice bucket in the lane. Rigatuso added back-to-back scores a little bit later to flip-flop a pair of Bobcat baskets as well.

With Peru State taking a seven-point lead, the game would go nonstop with the first-half media timeout not taking effect until the 4:30 mark. Cason Richardson kickstarted a 10-0 run for BU during that stretch, which saw them take a 23-22 lead on a breakaway dunk from Harvey.

After a PSC three tied things up at 27-all, Mahgoub hit a three to put Baker in front by one, but the Bobcats scored a couple of late buckets and looked to take a four-point lead into the half before a buzzer-beating jumper from Dylan Smith settled the first half score at 36-34 in favor Peru State.

Both sides drained a three to start the second half, ensuring that the back-and-forth would continue for the latter 20 minutes also. The Bobcats clung to their lead for the first five minutes by matching baskets with BU before a layup by Harvey put the Wildcats in front at 47-46.

Another PSC triple gave them a four-point lead with 8:34 left in the game before Henry went on his own personal 8-0 run to tie things up at 67-67 with just over three minutes remaining. Harvey knocked down his big shot from three to put the Wildcats up for good, but not before PSC kept things at one-possession game down the stretch.

Rigatuso and Harvey notched consecutive buckets with Rigatuso finding Harvey for his easy layup and Nick Whittick made all four of his free throws before the Bobcats hit a three to trail 78-76 with seven seconds left.

Mahgoub came thru with one final huge play for BU, blocking the Bobcats' last-second 3-pointer to seal Baker's 78-76 victory and close out an 11-3 record for BU in Collins.

After finishing off a regular season that saw them eclipse 20 wins for the second straight year, the Wildcats will await this weekend's final games of conference play and turn their attention to the Heart Tournament with quarterfinals set to start on Feb. 27.

Baker will host a Heart Quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in Collins with the opponent to be determined.

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