COLUMBUS – The Capital University women's basketball team scored early and often Wednesday and kept its foot on the gas pedal to defeat Muskingum 79-66 in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest at the Capital Center.

With the win, the Crusaders (16-7 overall, 13-4 OAC) remain tied for third place with Ohio Northern and one game behind John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace for first place in the conference standings.

Sophomore guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) led Capital with her first career double-double, posting 12 points and a career-high 11 assists. Gage knocked down all eight of her free throw attempts and committed just three turnovers.

Freshman guard Lauren Stefancin (Mentor, Ohio) led the scoring effort with 17 points, including five 3-pointers. Senior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) hit 10-of-11 at the free throw line en route to 15 points to go along with five rebounds.

Senior forward Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) contributed with 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals, while sophomore forward Kristen Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio) added nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The Crusaders shot 42.6 percent from the floor and 25-for-29 (86.2 percent) from the free throw line while holding the Muskies (7-16, 5-12) to just 36.1 percent shooting. Each team committed 19 turnovers in the affair.

In the first half, Capital jumped out to a 7-0 lead as junior forward Monica Heckman (Pitsburg, Ohio) hit a pair of shots sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Geroski.

After the Muskies trimmed their deficit to 11-10, the Crusaders ran off nine straight points, highlighted by a pair of quick 3-pointers off the bench by Stefancin, to take a 20-10 advantage with 11:10 on the clock.

Capital held the lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 14-point lead with 53 seconds to play after Stefancin knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. The Crusaders led 36-26 at the break.

Stefancin continued her torrid scoring in the second half, knocking down a 3-pointer and another jumper in the first five-plus minutes of the period. Capital took its largest lead of the game at the 13:04 mark, forcing a timeout by the Muskies after freshman forward Colleen Fondessy (Fostoria, Ohio) put the Crusaders ahead 50-35 with a transition lay-up.

Capital, which tallied 18 second-chance points for the game, didn't allow Muskingum to get any closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The Crusaders wrap up their regular season schedule Saturday at home against Ohio Northern with a possible share of the OAC regular season title and the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament on the line. Capital will also celebrate Senior Day, recognizing Geroski and Caton in their final regular season games at the Capital Center.

The Crusaders could still clinch the No. 2 seed in the OAC Tournament and a double bye to the semifinals with a win and a Baldwin Wallace loss against Muskingum on Saturday.