DES MOINES, IA- The Vikings welcomed Peru State College to Dave Sisam Arena for another Heart Conference matchup. With a slew of high flying dunks the vikings were able to secure their second win in a row and their 6th conference win. The Vikings were led by the pair of big men, Jacob Koontz and Cecil Lee who each secured a double-double en route to a 77-69 victory. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Vikings wasted no time setting the tone as Lee slammed home a dunk 3 minutes into the game with the feed from Koontz. Lee wouldn't stop there as his early impact was felt with another layup and thunderous dunk over a Bobcat defender. Kino Thompson would soon step up and collect a handful of buckets throughout the first half before Lee would step up and hit back to back three pointers to cap off his 16 first half points. Koontz would get in on the action on the next possession as he sprinted down the court following a Noah Hart steal leading to another Viking Dunk that got the crowd roaring in the first half. Markell Hood would connect on a jumper with 40 seconds left in the half to help send the Vikings to the locker room up 4 points, 36-32. 

The Bobcats would set the tone early as they hit the first shot of the second half to cut the lead to 1 point but that is as close as it would get for the rest of the game. Behind Koontz's 13 second half points paired with Jaxson Youngs 9 points the Vikings were able to slowly put the Bobcats away in the second half. This was assisted by the unselfish play of the Vikings as they collected 9 assists on their 11 second half made shots, with Hood and Thompson leading the way with 2 assists. Hood would get some offensive action as well after he found the open Vikings as Hart found him open on the wing for a three point shot with under 13 minutes to play and extend the lead to 5 points. After the media timeout the Vikings broke it open and extended their lead to 12 points with under 5 minutes to play off of a Hart 3 pointer. Things would get chippy through the final few minutes with Lee eventually fouling out but the Vikings closed out the game by limiting turnovers and hitting crucial free throws. Connor Robertson would hit the final two free throws with ten seconds left in the game to bring the final score to 77-69. 

GAME NOTES:

• Vikings defense recorded 5 blocks and 3 steals 
• Every Viking that checked into the game scored a basket
• Vikings made 22-29 free throws, including 17 in the second half 
• Viking limited themselves to 8 turnovers 

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Vikings will travel to Fayette, MO to take on Central Methodist University. Tip off is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM.