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Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Senior wing Michael Sommer continued his road scoring barrage for the Capital University men's basketball team, which defeated cross-town rival Otterbein Saturday by a 75-64 score in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in front of a raucous crowd of 2,516 at the Rike Center.

Sommer (Celina, Ohio) tallied 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the Crusaders (17-6 overall, 14-2 OAC) in scoring for the fourth consecutive road contest. Fellow seniors Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) and Mitch Westerheide (Ft. Loramie, Ohio) recorded 14 and 15 points, respectively. Westerheide added a team-best six assists in the effort, while junior forward Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) contributed with a team-high eight rebounds.

Capital shot 54.2 percent from the field as a team and knocked down nine 3-pointers while holding the Cardinals (7-16, 4-12) to 46.0 percent.

With the victory, the Crusaders maintain their one-game lead over second-place Marietta with two games to play in the regular season. Capital can clinch at least a share of the OAC regular season title with a win on Wednesday against Muskingum.

The Crusaders led by as many as 26 in the first half, knocking down 8-of-12 from 3-point range and 65.4 percent of their shots from the field. After sophomore forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio) gave Capital a 5-4 advantage just over three minutes into the affair, the team never relinquished its lead.

Otterbein fought back in the second period, whittling the Crusaders' lead down to 67-57 with just under four minutes on the clock, forcing a Capital timeout. Westerheide hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to help the Crusaders regain control of the lead.

The Cardinals reduced the deficit down to six points, but Capital knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the final 54 seconds to lock up a triumph. The Crusaders committed just seven turnovers and hit 14-of-23 from the free throw line for the game while outscoring Otterbein 18-4 off turnovers.

Capital hosts Muskingum this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Capital Center.