COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Playing in their first home game since December 8, 2021 – 38 days ago – the Capital University men's basketball team came up just short with a 73-67 loss to visiting Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday afternoon. 

Despite the loss, Capital (8-6, 3-4 OAC) had a couple of decent individual performances. Ryan Suever and Griffin Doseck paced the team with 13 points each. The pair also combined for nine boards, four assists, and two steals. 

Kaleb Crawford also contributed 10 points off the bench while adding five boards. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams saw their looks as they settled into the game early on, eventually leading to a 9-9 scoreline with 5:21 elapsed. Ryan Suever's second bucket of the game leveled the game at the time. From there, Capital grabbed what would become a six-point lead as Kaleb Crawford, Tyler Schreck, and Griffin Doseck all knocked down shots. 

Unfortunately, the 19 points at the time would lay dormant on the scoreboard while BW netted 11 points to retake the lead at 22-19. 

Again, Cap scrapped with the Yellow Jackets (9-4, 4-2) to keep pace. Unfortunately, with the score at 27-27, the Purple and White ended the first half of the game sluggish over the final 4:33 as their lone point came on a Tyler Schreck free throw. In that period of time, BW scored nine points to take a 36-28 advantage into the locker room. 

The second half was a near carbon copy of the first as Capital fought their way back into the game, only for Baldwin Wallace to find a way to score when they needed it. Throughout the second half of play, BW kept Capital at bay by a margin of six to eight points for most of the frame. 

In the second half, Ryan Roth helped Capital's efforts, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, but ultimately it wouldn't be enough, leading to the final score of 73-67. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Capital held the upper hand in bench points and fast break points, but were undone in crucial areas of the game, including points off turnovers (13-8), second chance points (15-7), and points in the paint (28-24).

 Both teams finished level on rebounds with 30 each. Tyler Schreck returned to his rebounding form with eight boards in the game. 

Capital and BW shot identical numbers from beyond the arc as they converted 9-of-21 attempts each. For Cap, Ryan Suever and Ryan Roth each contributed three deep balls to lead the team from range. 

THE OPPONENT
Baldwin Wallace finished with three 17-point scorers in the form of Drew Wennes, Jake Snyder, and Anthony Mazzeo. Mazzeo also led the team with seven boards. 

UP NEXT
The Capital men will stay home to greet No. 8 Marietta on Wednesday, January 19. Tip-off against the Pioneers will take place at the Capital Center at 7 p.m. Visit athletics.capital.edu for live stream and ticket information.