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Box Score

COLUMBUS – The Capital University men's basketball team fell in their home opener of the 2012-13 season to Wittenberg Tuesday night by a final of 54-66 in a non-conference match-up at the Capital Center.

Wittenberg started the game by scoring the first five points until the Crusaders (1-2 overall) were able to come back and take a 10-8 lead behind freshman AJ Dixon's jumper (Hilliard, Ohio) with 11:52 remaining in the first period.

From there, Wittenberg (3-0) was able to retake the lead behind four 3-point field goals on its way to a 20-6 run to end the half and it never looked back. Capital went into the locker room at the end of the first period only shooting 20 percent from the floor as shot after shot went in-and-out.

Capital surrendered 55 percent shooting to the Tigers in the first half while making just 20.8 percent of its own attempts, contributing to a halftime deficit of 28-16.

Early on in the second period, Capital was able to quickly cut the lead down to five behind three critical 3-pointers from senior guard Damon Dillard (Columbus, Ohio), forcing the Tigers to take a timeout at the 16:44 mark.

Dillard would finish with his impressive night for the Crusaders with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting (4-of-10 from 3).

The Crusaders provided a more efficient offensive performance in the second half as they connected on seven 3-pointers and were finding success defensively as they moved into a full court press that lead to several Tiger turnovers.

Senior guard Mitch Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Florida) chipped in eight points, four assists and four boards as he was able to get to the line and keep Capital in the game in the second half, going 6-for-6 from the stripe.

After cutting the lead back down to five with 6:37 remaining, Wittenberg regained their first-half form as the team took off from behind the three-point line.

The Crusader defense was unable to keep the Tigers in check, allowing 56 percent shooting (13-of-22) to Wittenberg from distance and 57 percent from the field. Offensively, Capital finished off its night at 31 percent shooting from the floor.

Following their upcoming trip to Pittsburgh, Pa., this weekend for the Carnegie Mellon Tournament, the Crusaders return home to the Capital Center to take on the Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.