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The Capital University men's basketball team used an early second-half run and held on in the waning moments Sunday with a 64-63 triumph at Carnegie Mellon on the second day of the Carnegie Mellon DoubleTree Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Trailing by nine early in the second half, the Crusaders (2-3 overall) quickly tied the game at the 17:09 mark as part of a 25-3 run, capped with 9:03 to play on a lay-up by sophomore forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio), who tallied seven points during the stretch to help give Capital a 55-42 advantage. Senior guard Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio) also recorded seven points to key the run.

Senior forward Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio; at right) matched a game high with 17 points to go along with five rebounds. Niekamp, who posted a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) against No. 19 St. Mary's (Md.) in the Crusaders' 49-47 setback yesterday, was selected to the All-Tournament team following the conclusion of play.

Sommer finished with 16 points for the contest, while Bolka contributed with nine points and five rebounds (four offensive). Senior guard Mitch Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Ohio) added eight points, four rebounds and six assists.

The Tartans (1-4) held the lead for the majority of the first half and led 36-30 at halftime after shooting 55.6 percent from the field in the period. After making its run during the first 11 minutes of the second, Capital saw its lead shrink to one possession at 61-58 with 3:39 on the clock.

Following a Niekamp 3-pointer, the two teams traded possessions before Carnegie Mellon scored five straight to make it a one-point game with 58 seconds to play. The Crusaders turned the ball back over to the Tartans with 28 seconds left and withstood three missed jumpers to escape with the victory.

Capital shot 46 percent from the field for the affair, including a 54.2-percent clip in the second half, and made all 10 of its free throw attempts. The Crusaders held Carnegie Mellon to 40 percent shooting after halftime.

Capital returns home to host non-league rival Ohio Wesleyan this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The game is the second part of a women's-men's doubleheader against the Bishops at the Capital Center.