No. 8 women’s basketball defeats Peru State

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Story by Chad Mullen, Writer

The No. 8 Baker women’s basketball team stretched its winning streak to 11 games on Saturday, with all five starters finishing in double digits in a 97-77 victory over Peru State College.

The Wildcats led 46-33 at halftime, but the Bobcats had a hot third quarter, outscoring Baker 26-18 to pull the game to within five points. From there, the floodgates were opened on the Peru State defense as the Wildcats poured on 33 points in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats shot 56 percent from the field, led by an 11-for-16 effort by Mackenzie Cook, who finished with 23 points. She also added seven rebounds and tied for the team lead with four assists.

The season’s leading scorer, Kelsey Larson, finished with 10 points, going a perfect 3-3 on 3-pointers, and led the Wildcats with eight rebounds.

As a team, the Wildcats out-rebounded the Bobcats 42-28.

The Bobcats were kept alive by the 3-point shot, as they finished the game 12-22 beyond the arc. Peru State also benefitted from a terrific performance from their center Deandra Williams, who finished with 25 points. Still, the Wildcats dominated the paint, outscoring the Bobcats on the inside 46-26.

At 22-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, and 24-4 overall, the Wildcats remain in sole possession of first place with two games to go in the regular season. Wins against Graceland University on Wednesday and Grand View University on Saturday would earn the Wildcats a top seed in the conference tournament.

Wednesday’s game will be at 5:30 p.m. at Graceland, while Saturday will be senior day for the Wildcats in the Collins Center. That game against the Vikings of Grand View will begin at noon.