The Capital University men's basketball team trailed early and was unable to come all the way back Saturday, falling 85-80 at John Carroll in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest in University Heights, Ohio.

The Crusaders (9-12 overall, 6-8 OAC) closed their deficit all the way to one in the final minute, but the Blue Streaks knocked down all four of their free throw attempts in the final 36 seconds of regulation and held Capital scoreless with a chance to tie it.

The Crusaders held John Carroll (14-7, 8-6), the league's second best scoring offense entering play, to just 39.4 percent shooting in the game. Capital shot 44.6 percent on the other end but hit just 24-of-40 (60 percent) at the free throw line.

Freshman guard Curt Geise (Delphos, Ohio) totaled a team highs of 19 points and seven assists. Junior forward Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio) posted 11 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Jared Cashen (Norwalk, Ohio) recorded 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Senior forward Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio), junior guard Adam Blake (Kingston, Ohio) and freshman guard Drew Fecko (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) added nine points apiece, a career high for Fecko.

In the first half, after a 3-pointer by junior forward Michael Green (Dublin, Ohio) gave the Crusaders a 5-4 lead, the Blue Streaks embarked on an 11-0 run to take a 15-5 advantage at the 15:54 mark. Four straight points by Cashen cut the John Carroll lead to 22-18 with 9:46 on the clock.

The Blue Streaks led for the remainder of the frame, taking a 49-37 lead into the locker room.

John Carroll continued to lead early in the second half. Geise cut the Capital deficit to 63-58 with 11:39 to play, then made it a four-point game again with just under seven and a half minutes left on a jumper.

Fecko knocked in a lay-up on a feed from Geise to make it a one-possession contest at 76-73 with 5:32 on the clock. The Crusaders continued to stay within a basket as Geise converted a lay-up with 37 seconds to play to bring Capital within 81-80.

The Crusaders host league rival Marietta Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital Center.