Columbus, Ohio – The Capital men's basketball team shocked the Pioneers of Marietta, who have been receiving votes nationally all season long in the D3hoops.com poll, in a dominant double-digit victory with a final score of 75-58. The Comets win was sparked by an impressive defensive effort and well-rounded team offense.
This conference win for the Comets pushes them to 13-7 overall and 7-6 in the OAC, keeping up their now three game winning streak. After the loss the Marietta Pioneers fell to 14-6 overall and 8-5 in conference play.
Both teams came onto the court with high energy in pregame, and that translated into the first half with impressive defensive performances by both teams. Despite an impressive show offensively by the Comets, they were unable to pull away in the first half due to their eight turnovers. A mix of solid court vision from Nate Gerber and Carter Combs combined with solid finishing in the paint from Baden Forup (6-10 FG) is what allowed Capital to lead for a majority of the first half. A clutch three-pointer from Alex Eyink to beat the buzzer gave Capital the momentum going into halftime, with a first half score of 36-33.
After a close first half of play, the second half surely didn't disappoint. The Comets managed to carry their first half momentum with them out of the locker room, keeping their lead for a whopping 28:26 of the contest. Marietta gave a good second effort with some hard-fought buckets, but it wasn't enough to stop the Comets fast-paced attack and strong defensive effort. A major difference in this half was the free-throw line with Capital going 20-25 from the charity stripe, while Marietta only managed to find their way to the line 14 times.
The Numbers
Baden Forup led the team in scoring with an impressive 20 points on 9-14 shooting.
Justin Nixon had an all-around performance leading the team in rebounds with 9, as well as steals with 3.
Dom Moegerle dished out the most assists with 4.
Up Next
Capital Men's basketball will host #16 ranked Mount Union in the Cap Center this Saturday, February 3rd at 1:00 pm. The Comets are hoping to get their revenge on the Purple Raiders, who handed them a loss earlier in the season.
