The Capital University women's basketball team opened its 2013-14 season Saturday night with a 60-51 victory at St. Vincent in a non-conference contest at Latrobe, Pa.

The Crusaders (1-0 overall) held the Bearcats to 27.8 percent shooting from the floor and knocked down five 3-pointers in the second half to erase a halftime deficit.

Senior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) was one of five Capital players to score between seven and 12 points, pacing the Crusaders with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Junior guard Shelby Sheets (Fayetteville, Ohio) and sophomore guard Nina Napolitano (Akron, Ohio) tallied 10 points apiece. Junior forward Monica Heckman (Pitsburg, Ohio) totaled nine points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds (six offensive), while senior forward Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) posted seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Capital jumped out to a 14-7 advantage through the first nine minutes, but St. Vincent (0-1) quickly tied the game at 15-15 with 6:16 to play in the first half. The two teams traded the lead for the remainder of the period and the Bearcats took a 25-23 lead into the locker room.

The Crusaders ran off 10 straight points to start the second half, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by sophomore guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) and Geroski, to take a 33-25 advantage at the 17:14 mark.

St. Vincent cut the lead to two points with 13:03 to play, but consecutive 3s by Geroski boosted Capital's lead back to eight with 12:06 to play.

The Crusaders held the advantage for the rest of the contest, taking control for good after a three-point play by Caton with 3:13 on the clock.

Capital shot 30 percent (21-of-70) from the field in the game, but outscored the Bearcats 24-14 in the paint, including a 16-6 advantage in the second half.

The Crusaders open the home portion of their schedule Wednesday against local non-conference rival Wittenberg. Tip-off at the Capital Center is slated for 7:30 p.m.