The Capital University men's basketball team won for the first time since 2007 at John Carroll over the weekend and looks to move to 5-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference this week against Wilmington.
The Crusaders (6-4 overall, 4-0 OAC) visited John Carroll on Saturday and emerged with an 83-71 victory over the Blue Streaks. Junior forward Jared Cashen (Norwalk, Ohio) led Capital with a career-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds off the bench. Senior guard Tim Congrove (Circleville, Ohio), who also played in a reserve role, tallied 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, all on 3-point attempts.
The Crusaders, who led 35-28 at halftime, extended their lead in the second period by shooting 70.8 percent (17-for-24) from the floor. Capital knocked down seven of its 10 three-point makes following the intermission.
Senior wing Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio), riding the wave of his last-second, game-winning shot against Baldwin Wallace on Dec. 8, filled the box score with 15 points, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
The Crusaders look to end 2012 on a high note and extend their four-game winning streak to five this Tuesday against Wilmington (4-5, 1-2). The Quakers enter the week following a 71-58 home defeat against Baldwin Wallace. Wilmington led 33-32 at halftime but shot just 33.3 percent and allowed the Yellow Jackets to get to the free throw line 23 times in the second period. Dwight Johnson paced the Quakers with 14 points, while Malcolm Heard recorded 11 points and five rebounds.
Wilmington enters the week ranked first in the league in steals per game (10.3) and third in blocks per game (3.0), and allows just 67.1 points per game, second in the league behind Capital, which surrenders 62.3 per contest. Heard leads the team in scoring (14.0 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 rpg), while Brandon Candella also averages double figures in scoring with 13.9 points per affair.
Last season, the Quakers swept the regular season series against the Crusaders by a combined eight points before Capital gained revenge with a 70-60 victory in the OAC Tournament title game at the Capital Center. The Crusaders made 33-of-39 from the free throw line, including 21-for-25 in the second half, and held Wilmington to 32.1 percent shooting to win its fourth OAC Tournament in program history.
