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COLUMBUS – The Capital University women's basketball team posted a strong second-half effort Saturday, but it wasn't quite enough in a 61-47 setback against ninth-ranked Ohio Northern in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest at the Capital Center.

The Crusaders (10-5 overall, 5-3 OAC) fell behind 41-16 through one half after shooting 20 percent from the floor and allowing the Polar Bears to shoot 50 percent on the other end in the period.

A strong showing in the second half, when Capital outscored Ohio Northern 31-20 and held the Polar Bears (14-1, 8-0) to 34.8 percent shooting, wasn't enough to overcome the 25-point deficit.

Junior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio; at right) led the Crusaders with team-highs of 12 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) added nine points, four steals and five rebounds, while freshman guard Nina Napolitano (Akron, Ohio) scored eight.

In the first half, Ohio Northern, which is currently atop the OAC standings, started the affair on a 9-0 run and didn't look back, never trailing in the contest. The Polar Bears extended their lead as the half went on and the Crusaders scored half of their points on free throws (8-of-11 from the line).

Capital rebounded in the second, cutting the deficit down to 13 with 14:23 to play behind the strong play of Caton and freshman guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio), who combined for 10 points in the first three minutes of the frame.

The Crusaders were unable to cut further into the margin despite holding Ohio Northern scoreless for a six-minute stretch late in the half.

For the game, Capital shot 29.1 percent while the Polar Bears made 43.6 percent of their attempts. The Crusaders grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, including 14 in the second half. Freshman forward Kristen Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio) had four offensive boards (five total).

Capital begins a four-game road stretch this Wednesday at Marietta. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Marietta, Ohio.