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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The atmosphere was intense on Saturday night at the Rike Center, on the campus of Otterbein University as the Capital University men's basketball team topped its rival 63-55.

Otterbein (3-20, 2-14 OAC) tried to established momentum in the first half by going on an 8-0 run, beginning at the 7:48 mark. Senior forward Marshall Crum had a big first half, accounting for six points during the run. Junior guard AJ Dixon (Hilliard, Ohio) halted the run with the first of his two 3-pointers.

With the game tied at 27, the Crusaders (7-16, 5-11 OAC) grabbed the momentum when Charles English (Cincinnati, Ohio) drew a hard foul, making a tough layup in the process. The junior guard made sure the play was worth three, sinking his foul shot.

English extended Capital's lead to 32-29 with another layup before Otterbein's Jake Phillis countered with a three-ball to tie the game.

Curt Geise (Delphos, Ohio) made a jump shot to make Capital's lead 34-32 at intermission. Capital shot out of the second half on an 8-2 run to extend its lead to 42-34.

Adam Blake (Kingston, Ohio) and Geise came off the bench and made their presence felt by playing a big role in an 11-2 run in the game's final minutes. Blake scored all eight of his points in the second half but his biggest points came when he hit a long 3-point jumper with 6:20 left to play.

Two possessions later, Geise sealed the game for Capital when stole a Cardinal pass on Capital's side of the court before he found Blake for an easy fast break layup.

The Cardinals owned the glass in the first half. They held a 24-12 advantage in total rebounds while pulling down 13 offensive boards compared to Capital's two.

In the second half, Geise cured Capital's rebounding troubles by pulling down six of the team's 14 total rebounds in the second half. Otterbein was held to zero offensive boards and just 11 second half rebounds.

Bolka led the way for all scorers on his way to posting a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards. He was nearly perfect from the field, shooting 7-for-8 (.875).

Dixon continues his streak of five-straight games of scoring totals in the double-digits, recording 14. English chipped in 11 of his own.

The Crusaders shot 50 percent from the field (24-for-48) and only had 7 turnovers, compared to Otterbein's 11.

Crum led Otterbein with a career-high 15 points. Jake Phillis added 12 points and a pair of steals.

The win marked Capital's seventh victory in the last eight meetings.

The Crusaders hit the road for the final time in the regular season as they take on Heidelberg University on Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m.