By: Ryan Gasser, sports information director

ALLIANCE, Ohio –  The Crusaders sprinted out to an early 12-point lead in the first quarter which helped fuel them to a 65-53 road win over the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. Cassidy Bosch led the offensive effort with 16 points while Regan Stonerock posted a second stellar game behind a double-double effort.

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BOSCH HELPS BLOW THE DOORS OFF

• Mount Union took an early 5-2 lead but it was the last time they held the advantage on their home floor. Senior Cassidy Bosch took the lead back for Cap after splitting a pair of free throws and then nailing her lone 3-pointer of the game three minutes into the game.
• Up 9-7, Capital then broke out a 7-0 miniature run with five of those points coming from senior Regan Stonerock's inside game.
• The Crusaders then kept Mount Union off the board for 4:37 of game time while they broke out to a 20-9 lead.
• Eight of Capital's 23 first-quarter points came from Cassidy Bosch while Stonerock hit the halfway mark to notching her second double-double in as many games.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

• Capital kept the defensive pressure heavy, forcing Mount Union into seven turnovers in the second half. The Purple Raiders shot just 4-for-12 and 1-for-5 from behind the 3-point line.
• The Crusaders' shooting cooled off in the second after hitting just 26.7 percent (4-15) of its field goal tries. Regardless, the Crusaders extended its lead over the Purple Raiders by three after outscoring them 12-9 in the second quarter.
• Stonerock went into the locker room with 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Capital led Mount Union 35-20 heading into halftime.
• The Purple Raiders did gain some ground on the Crusaders after outscoring them 25-19 in the third quarter but still trailed 54-45 heading into the pivotal fourth quarter.

REPELLING THE RAIDERS

• Neither team scored until the scoreboard read 8:08. Sarah Hessel of Mount Union hit the first field goal of the fourth quarter to trim the lead to seven, 54-57. Those served as the only points in the first four-plus minutes of the frame.
• Kelsie Glass then trimmed the lead to four after hitting a triple, prompting a Capital timeout.
• Hailey Peoples-O'Neil worked the inside and with her layup brought Mount Union to within one point of the Crusaders, 54-53, with 4:25 remaining.
• Capital senior Elli Wachtman responded on the other end with a layup to create some room just before freshman Erika Linder stole the ball back and fed Emma Burns for an easy two.
• Mount Union was stuck on 53 points for the rest of the game. They did not score in the final four-plus minutes following Peoples-O'Neil's basket earlier in the quarter. In that time, the Purple Raiders went 0-for-5 from the field and committed five turnovers.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Four Capital starters finished in double figures in the regular season finale, led by Cassidy Bosch's 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. She also went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and added three rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
• Joining Bosch in double figures was Stonerock (12), Burns (12) and Wachtman (10). Stonerock posted her second consecutive double-double after adding 12 rebounds. She also shot 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
• Sophomore Brooke Ommert turned in six points and four rebounds off the bench, while junior Caroline Taphorn dished out six assists.
• Elena Rauhe was the only Purple Raider with 10 or more points after leading her squad with 11 on 4-of-14 shooting.
• Mount Union shot just 33.9 percent (21-62) and went just 8-for-28 (.286) from behind the arc. They also committed 20 turnovers which turned into 24 Capital points.

COMING UP … OAC TOURNAMENT TIME

Capital (14-11, 9-9 OAC) did its part to battle for the number four seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament. However, Marietta College defeated Heidelberg University on Saturday to maintain the tie with Cap. By virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker between Cap and Marietta, the Pioneers earned the number four seed and hosting rights in the tournament.

Capital will settle for the number five seed and travel to Marietta for its OAC Tournament quarter-final game on Tuesday, February 25 at Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers and Crusaders will play at 6 p.m. The winner will go on to play the winner of the No. 1 Baldwin Wallace University / No. 8 Otterbein University game on Thursday, February 27.

OAC Tournament site