TIFFIN, Ohio – The Capital University men's basketball team defeated Heidelberg 72-67 in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest at Tiffin on Wednesday night, improving the Crusaders (9-9 overall) to 6-5 in the OAC standings.

Senior forward Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) led the Crusaders with 20 points on 8-9 shooting from the field, as he has converted 21-25 field goals in the last four games.

A back and forth pace in the first half of play eventually led to the Student Princes taking a 36-31 lead at halftime, as Jackson and junior forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio) combined for 19 of the Crusaders' 31 first half points.

At the half, Capital was shooting just 38.2 percent from the floor, while Heidelberg posted a mark of 48 percent in the opening frame.

After back-to-back baskets to open the second half by junior guard Mike Augustine (Lexington, Ohio) and Jackson, the Berg put together a 9-0 run, taking a 48-35 advantage, proving to be their largest lead on the night.

However, the Crusaders battled tough and manufactured a run of their own, posting a 12-2 run at the 10:09 mark in the second half, as six points by Jackson and five points in short order by sophomore guard Charles English (Cincinnati, Ohio) helped lead Capital to within one possession of Heidelberg.

Freshman guard Curt Geise (Delphos, Ohio) then added a layup and the free throw that followed to give the Crusaders their first lead since the 1:51 mark of the opening half.

Strong play down the stretch, including clutch foul shooting from Augustine and Geise, led to Capital proving to be victorious on the road by five points.

Leading the way for the Crusaders was Jackson, scoring 12 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, while also corralling five rebounds and dishing out three assists.

Geise followed with his fourth straight stellar scoring performance off the bench, scoring 15 points on 4-12 shooting, giving him 67 points in the last four games, all in a reserve role.

Bolka also had a strong performance, recording his second double-double in the last four games with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Augustine chipped in nine points and three rebounds for the game.

In total, the Crusaders shot 26-60 (43.3 percent) on the night, while holding the Student Princes to a 24-58 mark from the field (41.4 percent), including 36.4 percent shooting in the second half of play.

With the win, Capital is now set to continue its two game road trip, as they travel to Alliance, Ohio, on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off against Mount Union.