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The Capital University women's basketball team clinched the No. 5 seed in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday with a 67-56 victory at Muskingum in a league contest in New Concord, Ohio.

Senior forward Stacy Timmerman (New Bremen, Ohio; at right) continued her strong play with a team-high 23 points along with nine rebounds for the Crusaders (14-10 overall, 9-8 OAC), who trailed by as many as seven in the second period before forging a comeback.

Junior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while freshman guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) totaled 12 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

Capital shot 40 percent from the field and knocked down 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line, including a 12-for-14 clip in the second half. The Crusaders held the Muskies (7-17, 2-15) to 39 percent shooting and just 20 percent from 3-point range.

Capital outrebounded Muskingum 48-27, and its 19 offensive rebounds led to 21 second-chance points.

The Crusaders led 16-10 midway through the first half before a 7-0 run put the Muskies in the lead. Muskingum scored seven of the final nine points in the half to take a 28-23 advantage into the locker room. Timmerman tallied 16 points in the period to help Capital stay in the contest.

The Muskies led by six with 14:50 to play before back-to-back 3-pointers by Geroski tied it at 37-all at the 13:03 mark. Muskingum retook the lead and hung onto it until the 9:22 mark, when Gage gave the Crusaders a 46-44 lead with a 3-pointer.

The two teams exchanged the lead before Gage, who registered all 12 of her points after halftime, scored two straight buckets to put Capital ahead 55-50 with 5:13 left. The Crusaders wouldn't relinquish the lead from there, ending the game on a 12-3 run, including six free throws in the final 44 seconds to ice the road win.

The affair featured eight ties and 10 lead changes.

Capital concludes regular season play this Saturday at OAC champion and fourth-ranked Ohio Northern. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Ada. The Crusaders begin OAC Tournament play Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital Center against an opponent to be determined.