No. 14 Generals handle Peru State, cruise into NAIA Quarterfinals

Kansas City, Mo. – The 14th-ranked and LSUA men’s basketball team made sure there would be no back-to-back upset in the Naismith Bracket of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament, building up a big lead early and rolling to a 98-77 second round win over the upset-minded eighth seed Peru State Bobcats Friday afternoon at the Municipal Auditorium.

After William Claiborne muscled his way to the basket for the game’s first bucket, Peru State would take its only lead of the game on the ensuing possession on am Allias Roberts-Burnett three-pointer. After several empty possessions by both teams, Anthony Stove put the Generals ahead to stay as he pulled up inside the arc for two to make it 4-3 with 17:30 left in the first half and LSUA would lead the rest of the way.

Stove’s bucket kicked off an 8-0 Generals kick that ended with a Brandon Moss slam to make it 10-3 LSUA with just more than 13 minutes remaining in the first half. The Bobcats would score the next five points to cut the deficit to three points as L.J. Westbrook made a pair of free throws moved the score to 10-7 Generals.

But Jordin Williams would kill that Peru State momentum as he came down the court, pulled up, and drained a three-pointer to start another 8-0 LSUA run to get the lead to double-digits for the first time as William Claiborne was hammered while laying a shot in. He converted the and-one free throw and LSUA led 18-7 with just less than 14:30 left in the first half.

The Bobcats made one last push to keep in contact with the Generals, and it came from beyond the arc. Nolan Cass came on and drained a three pointer to start an 8-2 Peru State run to pull the LSUA lead back down five points at 20-15 on another Cass three with 11:15 left in the half.

LSUA started to go back inside and that worked to get the lead back into a comfortable territory again as another Claiborne lay-up would be the first two of ten straight Generals points. Jordin Williams would cap the 10-0 run with a pull-up jumper from just inside the arc to put LSUA up 30-15 with nine minutes left to halftime.

Three minutes later, the Bobcats would pull the deficit to under double-digits with the help of a 9-2 run, which was capped with a Quantice Hunter three pointer that made it 32-24. But when Brandon Moss spun around and hit a fadeaway, mid-range jumper on LSUA’s ensuing possession, the Generals would enjoy a double-digit lead the rest of the contest. LSUA’s lead would reach its first half peak of 16 points three times over the final five minutes of the stanza, the final time coming on a Donovan Thomas baseline jumper that made it 47-31 with just about 30 seconds remaining in the half. The Generals would lead 47-33 at the break.

The Generals kept the pressure on out of the break as a Chris Vickers lay-up and a long three by Jordin Williams gave LSUA the first five points of the second period to move the score to 52-33. The Bobcats would score the next five to cut the lead back to its halftime margin of 14 points as Terry Moore, Jr. split a pair of free throws to make it 52-38. But when LSUA scored 10 of the next 12 points, the Generals had the lead above 20 points for the first time as Brandon Moss completed an and-one opportunity to make it 62-40.

Peru State would get it under 20 only once from there as a L.J. Westbrook three-point play cut the lead to 66-47 with 11:45 left in the game. Shannon James, Jr. would hit a three pointer two possessions later to put the lead back above 20 points to stay. LSUA’s lead would peak several minutes later as Trent Brinkley would put back a miss to make the score 85-55 with less than seven minutes remaining. Chris Lewis would equal that mark as he answered a pair of Bobcat free throws with a dunk off of a Joseph Feraci lob to make the score 87-57 with 6:30 left and the Generals would coast from there.

“Today was perhaps one of our most complete games of the season,” said LSUA head coach Larry Cordaro. “We did a good job establishing the inside game early that helped open up things for our guards. Meanwhile, our defense was fantastic, holding their two top scorers to almost 15 points off of their combined season totals. Hats off to Peru State though, fighting hard after such an emotionally charged upset over the top-ranked team in the country the other night in overtime. Now we have to prepare for a Georgetown team tomorrow that knows this tournament and knows what it takes to make a deep run.”

Brandon Moss led the way for the Generals with 26 points on ten of 14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots. Jordin Williams kept up with his season average, scoring 20 points on seven made shots, four of them three pointers. He also grabbed five rebounds and doled out seven assists. William Claiborne picked up his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing ten rebounds. Claiborne also blocked two Bobcat shots. Shannon James, Jr. rounded out the leading scorers with 13 points to go along with four assists.

Everything was falling for LSUA in the second round contest as the Generals finished the game hitting 54.8% from the field, including an even 60% in the second half. LSUA also shot well from three, hitting on 40% of their shots from above the arc, while also capitalizing when they got to the free throw line, hitting ten of 13 attempts at the stripe. The paint was LSUA’s territory, where the Generals outscored the Bobcats 54-30. Defensively, LSUA held Peru State (22-14) to just 36.4% from the field, including just 24.1% from above the arc.

#14 LSUA (27-7) moves on to Saturday’s quarterfinal round for the second straight year, where the Generals will meet up with #9 Georgetown College. Tip-off against the Tigers (27-6) is set for noon at Municipal Auditorium.