By: Ray Delgado, assistant sports information director

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University men's basketball team got their money's worth in a tough overtime contest with Heidelberg, downing the Student Princes thanks to two clutch free throws from Trey Meister that proved to be the difference in the 76-73 victory. The team was led by Tyler Schreck's game leading 20 points, his third 20-plus point game of the season.

ROLLING EARLY

• Each side played good basketball from the start, staying locked up until Heidelberg started to pull away with an 11-5 lead at the 12:57 mark.
• The Crusaders kept it interesting however, making stops and shots to pull within one with a Schreck jumper, and take the lead 25-23 on a Ganiyu Yahaya three-pointer with 3:27 remaining in the half.
• The teams traded buckets as the clock wound down, with Capital making some key stops to get some breathing room at the half, leading 34-27.

TALE OF TWO HALVES

• Out of the half, Capital built an eight-point lead, 38-30, with 15:28 but Heidelberg would not go quietly.
• A couple of missed opportunities and capitalization brought the bout back to a one score game with under 12 minutes to play and would remain that way as both sides made tough shots to keep it interesting.
• The Crusaders held the advantage for much of the remainder of the half, accumulating as much as a nine-point lead before the Student Princes methodically chipped it away to once again bring it within one score with under a minute to play at 63-61.
• Schreck toed the charity stripe with just five ticks on the board and split the free throws to put Capital on top 65-63. However, the lead would not last long as a foul on the other end resulted in two Heidelberg free throws that knotted the game up at 65 as the final horn sounded and sent it to overtime.

FREE BASKETBALL

• The overtime period was just as interesting, as Capital jumped out to a five-point lead only to see it dissipate as Heidelberg pulled back even at 70 with 1:44 remaining.
• A free throw fest down the stretch kept the game within reach of both teams but ultimately Meister's clutch two sealed the victory at 76-73.

KEY STATS

• Schreck led all scorers on the night, posting his third 20-plus point game of the season as he dropped an even 20 to go along with six rebounds and five assists for good measure.
• Reed Bradfield chipped in 15 points of his own, collecting six rebounds and an assist.
• Griffin Doseck made his presence known in the paint, pulling down a career-high 10 rebounds and swatting two shots for the contest.
• The Crusaders cleaned up on the boards, nabbing 42 to Heidelberg's 28, with 12 coming on the offensive end.

UP NEXT

The Crusaders (12-10, 8-7 OAC) face off against Baldwin Wallace (12-10, 8-7 OAC) at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 14 in The Capital Center.