The Capital University men's basketball team trailed for much of the second half on the road Wednesday, but found a way to tie the game in regulation and made a run in the extra period to pull out an 80-73 victory at Heidelberg in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams in Tiffin, Ohio.
Five different players scored in the overtime for the Crusaders, who tallied the final nine points of the extra period to seal the crucial victory.
Junior Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio; at right) led five players in double figures with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. Capital shot 46 percent from the floor and 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line, and committed just 10 turnovers in the contest.
"We understood how they were trying to guard us," Capital coach Damon Goodwin said. "Heidelberg is very athletic, so to only have 10 turnovers against them was key. We had a good mental focus heading into the game tonight, and played to and trusted our strengths."
Trailing by six with 6:53 to play, the Crusaders (3-2 overall, 1-0 OAC) surged to tie the game at 61-61 with just over five minutes to play in the second half. The two teams went back and forth before the Student Princes took a four-point advantage with four minutes remaining.
After a missed layup, Capital sandwiched a pair of key defensive stops around a jumper by junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio), then tied the game on a jumper by senior Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio).
Following a made basket by Heidelberg (1-3, 0-1), junior Mitch Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Ohio; at left) hit a jumper to tie the contest again. The Crusaders stopped the Student Princes on the ensuing possession, but a shot by Winter at the buzzer was no good.
Winter registered 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Niekamp totaled 12 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio) and junior Tim Cammon (Westerville, Ohio) added 10 and 11 points, respectively.
"Any time you can spread the ball around like that and have five guys in double figures, you're going to keep the defense on its heels," Goodwin said. "Ben and Kelly were very aggressive offensively, and set up their teammates as well."
Capital was outrebounded 48-32, including a 21-6 margin on the offensive glass, but held Heidelberg to 42.5 percent shooting and a 5-for-23 performance from 3-point range.
"From a personnel perspective, Heidelberg is as talented as any team in the league," Goodwin said. "We knew we had to make them hit tough shots and neutralize their athleticism with good team defense. Our guys bought into our game plan, and it turned out to be a good character win for the program."
The Crusaders visit John Carroll this Saturday at 2 p.m. in University Heights, Ohio.
Five different players scored in the overtime for the Crusaders, who tallied the final nine points of the extra period to seal the crucial victory.
Junior Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio; at right) led five players in double figures with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. Capital shot 46 percent from the floor and 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line, and committed just 10 turnovers in the contest.
"We understood how they were trying to guard us," Capital coach Damon Goodwin said. "Heidelberg is very athletic, so to only have 10 turnovers against them was key. We had a good mental focus heading into the game tonight, and played to and trusted our strengths."
Trailing by six with 6:53 to play, the Crusaders (3-2 overall, 1-0 OAC) surged to tie the game at 61-61 with just over five minutes to play in the second half. The two teams went back and forth before the Student Princes took a four-point advantage with four minutes remaining.
After a missed layup, Capital sandwiched a pair of key defensive stops around a jumper by junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio), then tied the game on a jumper by senior Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio).
Following a made basket by Heidelberg (1-3, 0-1), junior Mitch Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Ohio; at left) hit a jumper to tie the contest again. The Crusaders stopped the Student Princes on the ensuing possession, but a shot by Winter at the buzzer was no good.
Winter registered 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Niekamp totaled 12 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio) and junior Tim Cammon (Westerville, Ohio) added 10 and 11 points, respectively.
"Any time you can spread the ball around like that and have five guys in double figures, you're going to keep the defense on its heels," Goodwin said. "Ben and Kelly were very aggressive offensively, and set up their teammates as well."
Capital was outrebounded 48-32, including a 21-6 margin on the offensive glass, but held Heidelberg to 42.5 percent shooting and a 5-for-23 performance from 3-point range.
"From a personnel perspective, Heidelberg is as talented as any team in the league," Goodwin said. "We knew we had to make them hit tough shots and neutralize their athleticism with good team defense. Our guys bought into our game plan, and it turned out to be a good character win for the program."
The Crusaders visit John Carroll this Saturday at 2 p.m. in University Heights, Ohio.
