Box Score COLUMBUS, Ohio – A hot first half by the Baldwin Wallace University Yellow Jackets put Capital University Men's Basketball in a hole it was unable to dig out off. The Crusaders had their senior day dampened by a 79-71 defeat in the regular season finale.
Capital (8-17 overall, 6-12 OAC) found itself at a 17-point disadvantage heading into the locker room after the Yellow Jackets connected on 9-of-11 3-point attempts, good for an 81.8 percent conversion rate. Justin Roth hit four of those first-half threes and finished with five on the day.
After the Crusaders took a 10-6 lead early, Baldwin Wallace (17-8, 11-7 OAC) went on a 14-0 run to make its first significant breakaway. Despite a moment in the half where sophomore guard Tyrel Jackson (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) hit consecutive threes to cut into the deficit, the Yellow Jackets kept pouring on the offense.
The second half proved more balanced, both in the score column as well as the distribution of points among the Crusaders. Capital outscored Baldwin Wallace in the second half, 41-32, but still was unable to overcome the Yellow Jackets' hot first half.
AJ Dixon (Hilliard, Ohio/Bradley) had a breakout second half where he scored 10 of his 12 points. He was one of four Capital starters to finish in double figures and one of three to finish with 12 points. Seniors Andrew Bolka (Xenia, Ohio) and Ben Danhoff (Clyde, Ohio) joined Dixon for a share of the team lead in points. Curt Geise (Delphos, Ohio) put forth another scrappy performance with 10 points and four assists.
Senior guard Adam Blake (Kingston, Ohio) had a team-high six assists plus two steals in 22 minutes played. Fellow senior Daniel Ocke (Sidney, Ohio) hit for five points, including one 3-point make.
Roth led both sides with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. Teammates Cameron Kuhn and Jaron Crowe joined him in double figures with 15 and 16 points, respectively.
Capital took care of the ball despite the loss, registering fewer than 10 turnovers for the second time in three games. They caused 17 BW turnovers, leading to 18 points. However, the Yellow Jackets won the battle of the boards, 39-23.
The loss merely affects Capital's seeding heading into the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, which begins on Tuesday evening. Capital will play its first game on the road, but because of postponed games around the conference will not learn its fate, officially, until Sunday evening. The Crusaders are slated for the No. 8 seed in the tournament, and will play at the top-seeded team. Should Marietta College defeat Ohio Northern University on Sunday, the Pioneers will lock in the No. 1 seed and host the Crusaders.
More details on the seedings and pairings will be released on Sunday evening.
