The Capital University women's basketball team used an efficient offense and solid defense on the road Thursday night to pick up an 80-66 victory at Wilmington in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest in Wilmington, Ohio.

Sophomore guard Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) tallied a career-high 28 points to lead the Crusaders (13-6 overall, 10-3 OAC) to remain one game behind John Carroll, which visits the Capital Center Saturday, for first place in the OAC standings.

Capital shot a blazing 57.1 percent from the floor, its best output of the season and the third time it has knocked down at least half its shots from the field, while committing just 13 turnovers. The Crusaders also held the Quakers (11-9, 8-5) to just 38.5 percent shooting while hitting 19-of-25 at the free throw line.

Gage hit 8-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and knocked down 9-of-12 at the free throw line. Senior guard Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) totaled 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, moving over 900 points for her career in the process.

Junior forward Monica Heckman (Pitsburg, Ohio) added 13 points and five rebounds, while freshman sharpshooter Lauren Stefancin (Mentor, Ohio) hit a 3-pointer and all six of her free throws for a nine-point performance.

Thursday's win was also Capital's fifth straight and seventh in its last eight games.

The Crusaders scored the first basket of the game and never looked back, holding the lead for the entire contest. Wilmington got as close as nine in the second half but was never within striking distance.

Four different players scored Capital's first nine points, and a 3-pointer by Gage made it 12-5 just under five minutes into the opening half. Gage's second 3 of the contest at the 9:57 mark gave the Crusaders their first double-digit lead of the affair, and Geroski's jumper with 6:04 to play matched Capital's largest advantage of the half, 29-13.

The Quakers whittled their deficit down to seven with 2:47 left in the first, but Gage capped a 9-2 spurt with a 3-point play to give the Crusaders a 38-24 lead heading into the locker room.

Capital continued to lead by double digits in the second period before Wilmington cut it down to 51-42 at the 10:55 mark. A lay-up by sophomore forward Kristen Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio) and a 3-pointer by Gage quickly put the Crusaders back ahead by 14 with 9:46 on the clock.

Capital, which led by as many as 22, knocked down 7-of-8 at the free throw line over the final 1:37 of regulation to seal its victory.

The Crusaders' game against John Carroll Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Capital Center. The Blue Streaks are ranked No. 21 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.