COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind a hot night shooting the ball at 58%, the Capital University men's basketball team found some second half separation and defeated Wilmington College by a final score of 86-77 on Wednesday night.
The win pushes Capital to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the OAC. Wilmington is pegged back to 4-8 and 0-5 in the conference.
The difference in the game proved to be efficiency in shooting as Capital converted 31 of their 53 attempts for a near 60% night, while Wilmington shot up just 28-for-66 for a 42% edge.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For much of the first half, neither team could garner a foothold and build out a large lead. Despite that, the Comets eventually carried a 43-37 lead into the break. An even 50% shooting overall and a 40% mark from beyond the arc by Capital would normally have allowed the Comets a comfortable advantage, but the Quakers stayed lockstep, shooting 48% from the floor and 50% from range of their own.
As the second half began, the early proceedings went as much of the first half went in a back-and-forth manner. However, on back-to-back possessions with 12:04 left in the game,
Ryan Suever and
Carter Combs cashed in on a pair of 3-pointers to put some separation in the scoreline at 61-54.
As Capital continued to look for separation a contested and deep triple from
Ryan Roth with 5:10 remaining put the lead out to 73-63 in the Purple and White favor. That momentum gained from Roth's shot enabled Capital to maintain the advantage and keep the Quakers at bay for the remainder of the game.
Eventually, the final horn rang with Capital ahead 86-77.
THE NUMBERS
Dom Moegerle shot 6-of-9 from the floor for 15 points. He added four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Ryan Suever also went 6-of-9 with 15 points. He added five boards and two blocks.
Kaleb Crawford finished with 14 points on a 5-of–8 mark shooting. He added seven rebounds, four assists and a block.
Carter Combs also finished in double digits finishing with 10 points and adding four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
THE OPPONENT
Points - Obed Archirem (15)
Rebounds - Obed Archirem (12)
Assists - Domenic Farley (3)
Blocks - Gavin Heimlich/Lucas Doty (1)
Steals - Five players (1)
UP NEXT
The Comets will return to action on Saturday, January 7th as they host the No. 4 ranked University of Mount Union. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. and will precede the women's game which will tip off at 4 p.m.
