WILMINGTON, Ohio -- A first half 14-point run buoyed by Kaleb Crawford's substitution paired with a sharp performance from the charity stripe in the second half by the team pushed the Capital University men's basketball team to a 59-50 win over Wilmington College on Tuesday evening. 

It wasn't a great offensive showing from the Purple and White tonight, but in the end, the team executed from the line when it mattered to hold off a valiant comeback effort from the Quakers. 

Capital (8-3 overall, 3-2 OAC), was led in scoring by Joe Thomspon who knocked down 12 points in the game, including 10 early points. Thompson was followed closely behind by a flurry of Cap players all with 10 points each — David Sanford, Griffin Doseck, and Kaleb Crawford.

Capital held a dominant edge in rebounds, paced by Tyler Schreck's 12 boards. The league-leader in rebounds balanced his game with eight points, four assists, two blocks and two steals.  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Comets started well off back-to-back 3-pointers from Joe Thompson to take an early edge. However, Wilmington stormed back to grab their largest lead of the first half at 12-8. 

From there, head coach Damon Goodwin made a sub which seemed to breathe some life into the Purple and White. Kaleb Crawford checked in and immediately made an impact. Crawford followed up a successful layup from Griffin Doseck with three straight buckets pushing Cap back in front by six. 

Following up the 10-point swing, Capital continued their pressure as Dom Moegerle complimented another layup from Crawford to complete the momentum change, taking the lead to 22-12 with 8:01 remaining in the first half.

Across the remainder of the stanza, both teams significantly cooled off, going a full four minutes of game action scoreless, eventually taking a halftime score of 28-18 to the locker room.  

In the second half, Wilmington played as the aggressor, eventually trimming the Capital lead to as few as two points with seven minutes remaining in the game. 

Thankfully for Capital, the team was able to maintain composure and force the Quakers into some tough shot attempts and a few turnovers that led to more opportunities. In desperation, Wilmington started to foul to stop the clock, but the efficiency of David Sanford and Griffin Doseck at the line helped hold the hosts at bay. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Capital connected on a season-high 14 3-pointers in their previous game at Olivet, but managed just three 3-pointers tonight, shooting a dismal 17.6% from beyond the arc. 

Tyler Schreck's 12 rebounds marked the sixth time this season he hit double-digit boards and the third time he eclipsed 12 or more. He continues to lead the OAC on the glass with 10.5 boards per game. 

In addition to his rebounding, Schreck is second in the league in assists (50) and blocks (21) on the year. Furthermore, he is third across the OAC in steals with 18.

Capital is in the midst of a four-game winning streak (minus the COVID scratched game vs. ONU) dating back to December 8th. 

THE OPPONENT
Capital played good defense and forced the Quakers to struggle offensively as Wilmington shot just 33% from the field. Jeffrey Mansfield and Bryce Bird led the team with 11 points each. Mansfield also had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists. 

UP NEXT
Capital's road will get a bit tougher as their next game falls this Friday at No. 15 ranked Mount Union. Tip-off in Alliance is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Capital will follow their trip to Alliance with another away contest against a ranked opponent in the form of No. 21 Heidelberg on Tuesday, January 11th. That tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Tiffin, Ohio.