The Capital University women's basketball team exhibited grit and determination in battling back from a 15-point halftime deficit Saturday, but couldn't quite complete the comeback in a 79-73 defeat at No. 20 Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in Alliance, Ohio.

Senior captain Shalena Hawkins (Cincinnati, Ohio) led all scorers with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds for the Crusaders (5-3 overall, 1-2 OAC), who trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half but stayed competitive in the contest.

"I'm extremely proud of how our kids kept their composure under adversity and how we fought back after halftime," Capital coach Dixie Jeffers said. "We will learn a great deal from this experience, and we look forward to getting better as a team."

Senior Hilary Kuhns (Fairfield, Ohio) recorded 13 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio; at right) tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Junior Stacy Timmerman (New Bremen, Ohio) added 12 points and six rebounds.

After a 3-point play by sophomore Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) put the Crusaders ahead by five with 12:17 left in the first half, Mount Union (7-1, 2-1) forged a 32-12 run to turn its deficit to a 44-29 lead by the end of the period.

Capital opened the second on a 10-2 run, including six points from Hawkins, to trim its deficit to 46-39 at the 17:10 mark. A 3-pointer by Kuhns again brought the Crusaders to within seven, but the Purple Raiders quickly rattled off six straight points to regain control of the contest.

Kuhns brought Capital to within two possessions at 75-69 with a minute and a half to play, but Mount Union converted four free throws in the final 1:13 to seal the win.

Caton registered nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 12 minutes off the bench.

After a week off for final examinations, the Crusaders return to play on Dec. 19 at home against St. Vincent. Tip-off at the Capital Center is set for 2 p.m.