The Capital University men's basketball team recovered from a first-half deficit with a dominant second-half performance Saturday, posting a 76-62 victory at Muskingum in an Ohio Athletic Conference affair in New Concord, Ohio.
The Crusaders (9-6 overall, 6-2 OAC) have now won four straight contests and remain tied in first place in the league with John Carroll.
Capital outscored Muskingum (6-10, 3-6) 42-23 in the second half after trailing by five at the half. The Crusaders turned 17 Muskie turnovers, including 11 in the second half, into 25 points on the other end.
"We were a little lackadaisical in the first half," Capital assistant coach Matt Sylvester said. "Muskingum has a good team with a lot of experience, and they were hitting their shots. We were a completely different team in the second half … it was a tale of two halves."
Senior Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio; at right) recorded a game-high 23 points as well as five assists and four steals to lead Capital. Junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) added 19 points and a team-best seven rebounds for the Crusaders, who shot a sizzling 60.7 percent in the second half and 57.1 percent for the game.
"It was all about our mentality in the second half," Sylvester said. "Kelly really asserted himself and Spencer was quietly efficient with his minutes. (Junior) Ben Jackson also stepped up as a spark plug off the bench with his production."
Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) totaled 11 points and four rebounds.
After Muskingum jumped out to an 11-4 lead early in the first half, Capital rebounded to take a 23-21 advantage on a 3-pointer by Niekamp with 9:01 on the clock. The Muskies responded to take a 39-30 lead before junior Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio) scored the last four points of the half to bring the Crusaders within five heading into the locker room.
Capital took its first lead of the second half at the 13:42 mark with a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio). The two teams traded the lead until the 7:53 mark, when a Niekamp jumper broke a 54-54 tie and started a 16-0 run to give the Crusaders a 70-54 advantage with 2:07 left.
Capital forced six turnovers over the course of the run and mixed up defenses throughout the second half, using its depth to its advantage.
"It started with effort and intensity defensively, but I think we wore Muskingum down with our depth," Sylvester said. "We got everyone in the game, and we tried to keep them guessing with our looks."
The Crusaders outscored the Muskies 40-24 in the paint and shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Capital returns to play this Wednesday at Ohio Northern. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Ada, Ohio.
The Crusaders (9-6 overall, 6-2 OAC) have now won four straight contests and remain tied in first place in the league with John Carroll.
Capital outscored Muskingum (6-10, 3-6) 42-23 in the second half after trailing by five at the half. The Crusaders turned 17 Muskie turnovers, including 11 in the second half, into 25 points on the other end.
"We were a little lackadaisical in the first half," Capital assistant coach Matt Sylvester said. "Muskingum has a good team with a lot of experience, and they were hitting their shots. We were a completely different team in the second half … it was a tale of two halves."
Senior Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio; at right) recorded a game-high 23 points as well as five assists and four steals to lead Capital. Junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) added 19 points and a team-best seven rebounds for the Crusaders, who shot a sizzling 60.7 percent in the second half and 57.1 percent for the game.
"It was all about our mentality in the second half," Sylvester said. "Kelly really asserted himself and Spencer was quietly efficient with his minutes. (Junior) Ben Jackson also stepped up as a spark plug off the bench with his production."
Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) totaled 11 points and four rebounds.
After Muskingum jumped out to an 11-4 lead early in the first half, Capital rebounded to take a 23-21 advantage on a 3-pointer by Niekamp with 9:01 on the clock. The Muskies responded to take a 39-30 lead before junior Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio) scored the last four points of the half to bring the Crusaders within five heading into the locker room.
Capital took its first lead of the second half at the 13:42 mark with a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio). The two teams traded the lead until the 7:53 mark, when a Niekamp jumper broke a 54-54 tie and started a 16-0 run to give the Crusaders a 70-54 advantage with 2:07 left.
Capital forced six turnovers over the course of the run and mixed up defenses throughout the second half, using its depth to its advantage.
"It started with effort and intensity defensively, but I think we wore Muskingum down with our depth," Sylvester said. "We got everyone in the game, and we tried to keep them guessing with our looks."
The Crusaders outscored the Muskies 40-24 in the paint and shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Capital returns to play this Wednesday at Ohio Northern. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Ada, Ohio.
