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COLUMBUS – Despite a resilient effort, the Capital University women's basketball team fell to Ohio Northern in an Ohio Athletic Conference regular season finale by a final score of 75-73.

The Crusaders now turn their focus to the OAC Tournament, as they will host the winner of No. 5 Wilmington versus No. 8 Heidelberg on Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Capital Center.

Trailing by 11 points in the second half, the Crusaders battled back with clutch free throws by sophomore Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio), tying the score at 66 heading into overtime.

A three-point basket by freshman guard Lauren Stefancin (Mentor, Ohio), followed by a field goal by senior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) gave the Crusaders a five point advantage with 3:01 remaining in the extra session.

Three consecutive baskets by the Polar Bears, along with another quick connection, put Ohio Northern up for good with 33 seconds left.

A defensive stand and two more free throws then gave the Polar Bears a three-point advantage with seven seconds remaining. 

Capital took an early lead in the game's opening minutes before falling behind 35-28 at halftime as Ohio Northern connected on a three-point shot just before the halftime buzzer.

Following halftime, the Crusaders scored the first four points in the second half before a 7-0 run by the Polar Bears gave them an 11 point lead.

However, the Crusaders quickly responded coming out of a timeout, putting together a 20-8 run, as consecutive baskets by sophomore forward Kristen Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio) gave Capital a 52-50 lead with 8:19 left in regulation.

Both teams then traded baskets until back-to-back shots by Geroski gave Capital the lead at 64-61 with 2:28 remaining in regulation.

Ohio Northern then followed, scoring five straight points before fouling Gage, who connected on both free throws in a one and one situation, sending the game into overtime.

Thompson led the Crusaders in scoring with 17 points on 8-18 shooting from the floor, while also corraling a team-high 10 rebounds, while junior center Monica Heckman (Pitsburg, Ohio) tallied nine points and seven rebounds on the afternoon.

Geroski recorded 14 points on a 5-11 mark from the field, including four rebounds and two assists, while fellow senior in forward Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) filled the stat sheet with eight points, three rebounds and four assists.

Both Caton and Geroski were recognized following the game for their final home regular season contest of their Capital careers.

With the loss, Capital (16-8 overall, 13-5 OAC) finish their 2013-2014 regular season campaign in fourth place in the OAC standings.