The Capital University men's basketball team put forth a stellar defensive performance Saturday, remaining in first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 63-49 victory at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
The Crusaders allowed the Purple Raiders (8-11 overall, 4-8 OAC) to shoot just 24.6 percent for the game, including a 6-of-27 mark from 3-point range, and held Mount Union to just 15 first-half points.
"(Senior) Kelly Winter and (junior) Mitch Westerheide did a great job against their top two scorers, Jimmy Wood and Nate Jacubec," Capital coach Damon Goodwin said. "We forced some of their other players into shots they didn't want to take. It was a good road win and we're happy to move forward."
Junior Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio; at right) led all scorers with 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and also contributed with seven rebounds and three steals. Classmate Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) added seven points and a team-best 10 rebounds off the bench.
Capital (12-7, 9-3) remains in a tie for first place in the conference with John Carroll, which defeated Ohio Northern Saturday. Six games remain on the schedule.
"We really haven't talked about being in first place," Goodwin said. "We just have to move on to play Ohio Northern, who will be motivated after losing to John Carroll today. We've done a nice job of winning on the road, and now we have to take care of business at home."
The Crusaders shot 43.8 percent from the floor, and made 48.1 percent of their attempts in the second half.
Sommer scored seven of Capital's first 11 points as the Crusaders jumped out to an 11-0 advantage just over four minutes into the contest. Mount Union recovered, but was held to four made field goals over the first 20 minutes. Capital took a 10-point lead into the locker room after a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio).
After the two teams exchanged buckets over the first four minutes of the second period, Capital pushed its lead to 20 with a 12-0 run, started by a 3-point play by Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Ohio) and capped by a jumper by Jackson with 12:29 on the clock.
The Crusaders took their largest lead of the game at 46-25 with 10:17 remaining after a pair of Jackson free throws. Capital led by no less than 13 the rest of the way, knocking down 5-of-6 free throws in the final 1:35 to ensure the win.
Junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) added eight points and four rebounds for the Crusaders, who outscored the Purple Raiders 18-4 off turnovers and 18-12 in the paint.
Capital begins a three-game home stand this Wednesday against Ohio Northern. Tip-off at the Capital Center is slated for 7 p.m.
