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COLUMBUS- Even after finding their momentum late in the second half, the Capital University women's basketball team was unable to overcome the deficit in a 66-60 loss to the Wilmington Quakers in an Ohio Athletic Conference at the Capital Center.

The Crusaders (13-7 overall, 8-5 OAC) quickly fell behind and trailed by nine at the end of the first half. Capital's deficit rose to as many as 13 in the second half before the team stormed back to take a 57-56 lead with 3:10 to play.

However, the Quakers (13-7, 9-4) knocked in a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and never trailed again.

"We showed good resolve in the second half and had an opportunity late to win the game," Capital coach Dixie Jeffers said. "It was a good effort, but unfortunately it only results in a win if you play both halves."

The leading scorer for the Crusaders was junior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) with 18 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds, and senior forward Stacy Timmerman (New Bremen, Ohio; above) also strongly contributed with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Timmerman is now just 20 points away from becoming the 19th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

From early on in the first half, the Quakers, now alone in fourth place in OAC standings, took the lead and held strong over the Crusaders, finishing the half ahead 33-24. Wilmington ended the half by shooting 42 percent, with 24 points in the paint compared to Capital's 29 percent with only four points in the paint.

Sophomore guard Shelby Sheets (Fayetteville, Ohio) scored all seven of her points in the period to help Capital stay in the game.

As the second half began, the Crusaders continued to fight to overcome the Quakers' lead but to little avail. Even after Gage scored a quick seven points to help bring the Crusaders within two points and Georski followed with a three pointer to take the lead, Wilmington retook the lead and knocked down 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:08.

For the game, Capital shot 31 percent, while Wilmington stayed consistent at 42 percent. Wilmington made 22-of-29 at the free throw line compared to 5-of-6 for Capital.

The Crusaders are back on the road this Saturday to face John Carroll at 3 p.m. in University Heights, Ohio.