ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Capital University women's basketball team took to the floor on the road on Saturday, matching up with the Purple Raiders of the University of Mount Union. It was a tight contest throughout, but a sluggish start to the second half put the Comets in a hole. Despite their best effort to comeback – managing to get within a single point – a last-second, game-tying three-point attempt fell off line, ending the game at 77-74.
Capital drops to 13-10 on the season with a 7-9 OAC record.
Mount Union is now 7-16 overall and 4-12 in the conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Capital started out strong, shooting nearly 47% from the field and taking relatively good care of the ball. However, so was Mount Union who matched the Comets point-for-point in the first period thanks to 8-of-13 on field goals. At the end of one, it remained an even game, 20-20.
It was the same story in the second as Capital continued to shoot the ball at a good clip and added four more three-pointers to bring the team total to seven before halftime. Unfortunately, once again Mount Union would not be muted. The Purple Raiders matched their first quarter shooting mark, going 8-for-13 again in the second and taking a three-point lead into the locker room, 39-36.
Things took a turn for the worst in the third quarter as the Comets were not able to put up the numbers they had in the previous two periods. Meanwhile, the Purple Raiders kept a good pace – despite a drop in percentage – and added nine points to their lead.
Capital put together a proper bounce-back effort in the final period, getting the deficit down to one with less than ten seconds left. Some made free-throws on the other end brought it back to three and left the Comets with six seconds to sprint down the court and put up a shot. Doing exactly that, Capital was able to find something of an open look, but the attempt ultimately fell offline and Mount Union escaped, ahead 77-74.
O'CONNOR'S EXCELLENCE
Looking on the brightside, the game brought forth one heck of a performance from one of Capital's brightest young stars,
Bri O'Connor. O'Connor put up scoring numbers that have not been seen in the better part of five years, shooting 11-for-19 from the field for a career-high 34 points. That is the most by a Capital player since Erin Risner scored 31 against Baldwin Wallace in the 2018-19 season. O'Connor, a transfer from Tiffin, has now accumulated 404 points in her first season at Capital and 570 in total. In addition to her scoring efforts, the sophomore from Hilliard had four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
THE NUMBERS
Along with O'Connor,
Laney Murphy made double-digits with 10 points. She also mustered six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Maddi Wieland and
Samaree Perkins each accounted for seven points. Weiland was also responsible for five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Perkins pulled down three rebounds, adding one assist, and one steal.
Demi Brewer bagged six points with four rebounds, three steals, and one assist.
THE OPPONENT
Points - Emma Cannon (21)
Assists - Hailey Haywood (4)
Rebounds - Emma Cannon (8)
Steals - Sierra Schlosser (2)
UP NEXT
Capital will hit the road for the final time on Wednesday, February 15, visiting Marietta. Tip-off between the Comets and the Pioneers is set for 7:00 p.m.
