The Capital University women's basketball team fought a tough battle, but fell short 84-78 against Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal in Alliance, Ohio.
The Crusaders finish the season with an 18-9 overall mark after finishing fourth in the league during the regular season with a 12-6 conference record. Capital also saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
Top-seeded Mount Union (25-1), which is ranked sixth in the nation in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, came out with a 6-0 start in the first half and shot 50 percent from the 3-point line and 55.9 percent from the field for the period.
"We had several opportunities to beat Mount Union, but the ball didn't bounce right for us or we had a turnover," Capital coach Dixie Jeffers said.
The Purple Raiders capitalized on the fourth-seeded Crusaders' turnovers by scoring 20 points.
Senior Hilary Kuhns (Fairfield, Ohio) led the Crusaders with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) came off the bench with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Crusaders' bench outscored Mount Union 20-10.
Senior Shalena Hawkins (13 points, nine rebounds), sophomore Cookie Geroski (11) and junior Stacy Timmerman (10) also finished in double-figure scoring.
Although the Crusaders trailed the Raiders at half by nine, they stuck right with Mount Union to keep within striking distance until the final minutes of the game. Geroski's 3-pointer with 37 seconds to play cut the Capital deficit to 79-76, but the Purple Raiders knocked down five free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the win.
Junior Rebecca Will (Millbury, Ohio) contributed six points for the Crusaders and tallied a team-high six assists.
"I'm extremely proud of the growth and competitiveness of the girls," Jeffers said. "We will regroup for next year."
The Crusaders finish the season with an 18-9 overall mark after finishing fourth in the league during the regular season with a 12-6 conference record. Capital also saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
Top-seeded Mount Union (25-1), which is ranked sixth in the nation in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, came out with a 6-0 start in the first half and shot 50 percent from the 3-point line and 55.9 percent from the field for the period.
"We had several opportunities to beat Mount Union, but the ball didn't bounce right for us or we had a turnover," Capital coach Dixie Jeffers said.
The Purple Raiders capitalized on the fourth-seeded Crusaders' turnovers by scoring 20 points.
Senior Hilary Kuhns (Fairfield, Ohio) led the Crusaders with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) came off the bench with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Crusaders' bench outscored Mount Union 20-10.
Senior Shalena Hawkins (13 points, nine rebounds), sophomore Cookie Geroski (11) and junior Stacy Timmerman (10) also finished in double-figure scoring.
Although the Crusaders trailed the Raiders at half by nine, they stuck right with Mount Union to keep within striking distance until the final minutes of the game. Geroski's 3-pointer with 37 seconds to play cut the Capital deficit to 79-76, but the Purple Raiders knocked down five free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the win.
Junior Rebecca Will (Millbury, Ohio) contributed six points for the Crusaders and tallied a team-high six assists.
"I'm extremely proud of the growth and competitiveness of the girls," Jeffers said. "We will regroup for next year."
