The Capital University men's basketball team experienced its first losses in Ohio Athletic Conference play and enters the week with two more league games on the schedule.
The Crusaders (11-6 overall, 8-2 OAC) currently sits tied for second place in the conference after suffering consecutive defeats against Marietta and Baldwin Wallace last week. Capital hosts Heidelberg on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before visiting Mount Union as part of a women's-men's doubleheader Saturday at 4 p.m.
The game against the Purple Raiders will be televised on tape delay by SportsTime Ohio at 11:30 p.m. that night.
In a 69-68 loss against Marietta on Wednesday, the Crusaders fell victim to a last-second buzzer-beater as the Pioneers' Jacob Owens banked in a 3-pointer with two defenders in his face. Capital, which led by 10 with just over six minutes to play, shot 55.3 percent from
the floor but allowed an uncharacteristically-high 57.8 percent clip on the other end.
Sophomore forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio; at right) led four players in double-figure scoring with 16 points to go along with a team-best seven rebounds.
On Saturday at Baldwin Wallace, the Crusaders got within one point after trailing by as many as 14 in the second half but were unable to get over the hump in a 79-67 defeat. Bolka led Capital in scoring for the second straight game with 11 points, while senior guard Tim Congrove (Circleville, Ohio) recorded 10 points. Junior forward Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) added eight points and a team-best eight rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets led 40-30 at halftime before the Crusaders began to chip away at the deficit, making a 16-4 run to get within 56-54 at the 9:20 mark of the second half. Baldwin Wallace's 10-0 run starting with 5:23 to play put the game out of reach. Capital held an 11-4 edge in second-chance points and shot 45.5 percent from the floor compared to 56 percent for the Yellow Jackets.
Heidelberg (9-8, 4-6) enters Wednesday's game following an 89-75 home loss against Mount Union. Nate Davis led the Student Princes with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Dane Givner finished with 14 points, four assists and four steals. The 'Berg shot 32.9 percent from the floor while allowing the Purple Raiders to make 54.2 percent of their attempts.
The Student Princes rank fifth in the league in scoring offense (74.0 ppg) and fourth in scoring defense (70.6). Heidelberg leads the conference in blocked shots per game (4.18 bpg) and ranks second in steals (8.53 spg). Davis leads the team in scoring with 15.8 points per contest and leads the league in rebounding (10.2 rpg) and blocked shots (2.35 bpg). Givner averages 13.3 points per game, good for second on the team.
In the other meeting between the Crusaders and Student Princes this season, Capital made 19-of-23 from the free throw line en route to a 69-60 triumph at Heidelberg on Dec. 5. Senior forward Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Congrove and Jackson contributed with 15 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
Mount Union (7-10, 5-5) won each of its games last week, defeating Heidelberg 89-75 on Saturday in Tiffin, Ohio. Cody Dillon and Nate Jacubec tallied 16 points apiece to lead the Purple Raiders, who shot 54.2 percent and made 31-of-42 free throws in the contest.
Jacubec (15.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) ranks among league leaders in a number of statistical categories. Steve Griffin is the team's second-leading scorer with 13.4 points per affair, while Jarrett Ruffin also averages double figures at 10.2. Mount Union, which hosts John Carroll on Wednesday, ranks fourth in the OAC in scoring offense (76.7 ppg) and eighth in scoring defense (75.9).
The Crusaders defeated the Purple Raiders 61-57 in the other meeting between the two teams this season on Dec. 1 in Columbus. Niekamp and Congrove posted 14 points apiece to lead Capital, which hit nine 3-pointers and held Mount Union to 31.5 percent shooting.
