Richmond, Ind. – The Capital University men's basketball team improved to 3-0 to start the 2023-24 campaign thanks to an 81-57 win over Earlham College on Sunday evening. The Comets erased a two-point deficit at the halftime interval, and outscored the hosts 48-22 in the second half to establish their foothold in the game. 

Now sitting at 3-0 overall, the Comets have started the season better than any other season since 2017-18 when the team defeated Trine, La Roche and Chatham to begin that season. 

Capital's first half wasn't too bad as the team shot the ball at more than 50%, but the catalyst was just a 3-for-11 mark from 3-point range. On the flipside, Earlham (0-3) shot a fairly similar percentage, and also cashed in on four free throws to establish their halftime lead. 

Out of the locker room, the Comets exploded for a 71% field goal percentage, scoring 20 of their 28 shot attempts in the second half. Capital was nearly perfect from two-point range, knocking down 16-of-18 buckets inside the arc. They were 4-of-10 from range in the process. Overall, Capital ended with a 61% mark from the floor. 

THE NUMBERS
Capital was led in most statistical categories by Justin Nixon who erupted for a career-high 20 points and five blocks in the game. He also finished just one rebound shy of a double-double ending with a game-high nine boards. Nixon also added three assists – a match of his career-best. 

Ryan Suever followed up his career-high point total from yesterday with 19 more points tonight on 7-of-8 from the floor which included a 3-for-4 mark from range. He added four rebounds and an assist. 

Carter Combs scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting the ball. He supported his scoring efforts with eight rebounds and seven assists. 

Baden Forup had an efficient 12 minutes on the floor by scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 from the floor. He added three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. 

Another highlight from the day was a career-high assist total of seven from McKane Finkenbine. 

Others to score points included Finkenbine, Alex Eyink, Nate Gerber, Kyle Kenney, Luke Kuhlman, and Deon Miller. 

UP NEXT
The Comets will return home to The Capital Center on Wednesday, November 15th at 7 p.m. as they  welcome nearby opponent Denison University for a non-conference match-up.