ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Capital University men's basketball team fell at Mount Union 82-76 on Saturday afternoon in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest, dropping the Crusaders to 6-6 in conference play.

Mount Union connected on its first two shots of the game, jumping out to a 5-0 lead, before the Crusaders rallied, scoring six unanswered points at the 16:30 mark in the first half of play.

A back and forth pace for the next 11 minutes led to both teams trading baskets and making the most of every offensive possession.

However, with 3:44 remaining in the opening half, the Purple Raiders put together a 7-0 run which extended their lead to double digits with just under a minute to play before halftime.

Then a pair of made free throws by junior guard Adam Blake (Kingston, Ohio) and a layup as time expired by freshman guard Tyrel Jackson (Dublin, Ohio), narrowed the Crusaders deficit to 34-28 at the half.

As the second half of play began, the Purple Raiders opened up the final half in similar fashion to the way they opened up the game, scoring the first five points in the second period, extending their lead to 11 points.

Capital then battled back and pulled to within five points of Mount Union, 47-42, following a layup by junior forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio) with 14:38 remaining in the game.

Again the Crusaders cut the deficit to a two possession game at the 7:23 mark, as Jackson connected on a pair of free throws to pull Capital to within six points. But to no avail, as the Crusaders did not come any closer on the afternoon, as they fell on the road by six points.

Leading the way for the Crusaders was junior guard Michael Green (Dublin, Ohio), scoring a game-high 26 points, in 27 minutes, on 10-13 shooting, including 6-7 shots from behind the arc.

Jackson followed with 13 points on 4-5 shooting, while freshman guard Curt Geise (Delphos, Ohio) recorded 11 points on a 4-10 mark from the field.

Bolka and senior forward Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) each chipped in seven points on the afternoon.

Both teams shot well from the field, as the Crusaders posted a 55 percent shooting mark, while the Purple Raiders managed to shoot 54 percent for the game.

With the loss, Capital (9-10 overall) falls back to .500 OAC play, as they welcome in Wilmington on Feb. 5.

Tip-off for that matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m.