Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Led by
Nina Napolitano's career-high 25 points, the Capital women's basketball team defeated Wilmington College, 76-65, Tuesday evening at the Capital Center. Their second-round win sends the Crusaders to the semifinals where they will meet the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears on Thursday in rematch of last year's conference tournament final game.
Of her 25 points on the night, Napolitano scored 18 of those in Capital's breakaway second half. The junior guard went a combined 9-for-16 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Akron, Ohio native rounded out her career day with five rebounds and two steals.
It was Napolitano's 3-point jumper near at 11:26 in the second half that began to turn the tide for the Crusaders. She added a pair of makes from the charity stripe that began a string of eight consecutive made free throws for Capital. Combining that run of made free throws plus Jenna Erwin's layup, the Crusaders began to break away from Wilmington, 62-54.
Capital (16-10 overall) continued to work the inside where Jaren Francis (Columbus, Ohio/Africentric) and Napolitano hit short-range jumpers to push the Capital lead to 10 points with 3:54 to go in the game. Napolitano's three-point play on a whimsical heave from underneath the basket two possessions later all but sealed the victory.
Francis not only scored at key moments, but served as a figurehead on the defensive front after replacing the injured Kristen Thompson. She swatted away three Wilmington shot attempts and finished with 10 points, including a flawless 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
The Crusaders were sent to the foul line 31 times and converted on 24 attempts, good for a 77.4 percent success rate. Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio) led Capital in makes and attempts, hitting on 7-of-10 tries. Gage was the third and final Capital player to score in double digits (13) while adding seven assists and four steals, both team highs.
Wilmington struggled shooting for the second consecutive night, hitting just 28.1 percent of its shots from the field. Monday, the team shot 23.1 percent in its close win over Marietta to advance to the quarterfinals. Courtney Tucker led the Fightin' Quakers with 16 points.
The win places Capital, the fourth seed in this year's OAC Tournament, in the semi-final round for a road match at top-seeded Ohio Northern (20-5, 16-2 OAC). By serving as the No. 1 seed, the Polar Bears had a bye in each of the first two rounds of the tournament.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from inside the ONU Sports Center.
