COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Capital University women's basketball team hosted Denison for their first game of the season on Wednesday night. The Big Red – most recently receiving votes in the preseason polls from D3hoops.com – came into the matchup 1-0 following a big win against a non-conference opponent. That one-game head start would not be enough to overcome the Comets as CU mounted a huge fourth quarter comeback to force overtime and take the win, 84-77.
The big win for the Purple and White sets them off to a 1-0 start to the season, giving them some great momentum. The loss puts Denison at 1-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first quarter started off with a surge of Capital baskets. At one point in the quarter, the Comets were leading by 11 points but the Big Red found their stride and after some hard fought buckets were able to tie the game 15-15. Capital was able to fend off Denison's aggressive offense and finish the quarter 15-15.
Denison kept their momentum from the first quarter going into the second. Despite a strong defensive effort from Capital, the Big Red were able to find the back of the net fairly consistently, leading by as much as 14. The Comets weren't done though, stepping up their defensive play and scoring the rock more efficiently.
Bri O'Connor was fouled on her buzzer beater attempt, prompting the first replay review in Capital women's basketball history. With 0.3 seconds added to the clock, Bri proceeded to sink three free throws to go into halftime with a score of 37-29, the Big Red coming out on top.
The third quarter was a lot of back-and-forth. Everytime CU seemed to gain some ground, Denison would strike back with points of their own. Some strong hustle plays by
Maddi Weiland kept Cap energized going into the fourth quarter down 60-46.
The Comets had some ground to cover in the fourth quarter, and they came off the sideline ready to go. The Capital defense stepped up in a big way to start the quarter, allowing for the offense to go to work.
Samaree Perkins and O'Connor were the main contributors on offense, chipping away at the Denison lead. Some made free throws and offensive rebounds late in the game allowed CU to tie with a score of 72-72. Capital made a defensive stand as the clock ran out to force overtime and would win the ensuing tip, and from there on they were unstoppable. Weiland owned the defensive paint, coming up with huge blocks for Cap all night. A handful of big steals turned to points for the Purple and White. The Comets made some clutch free throws to seal the deal, leading to an 84-77 victory in overtime.
THE NUMBERS
Bri O'Connor led the Comets in points, scoring 27. She also led in assists and steals, with five of each.
Samaree Perkins was the second leading scorer for Capital, scoring a career-high 24 points on 8-for-12 from the field, as well as bringing in nine rebounds leading the Comets in boards.
Kya Jordan made her debut, starting for the Comets at point guard. She scored a loud nine points, bringing in nine rebounds to match.
Maddi Weiland was a force in the paint, leading Capital with six blocks and tying her career-high. Maddi also scored 10 points and brought in five rebounds.
Laney Murphy came up big for Capital with 14 points, as well as going 2-of-2 from the charity stripe to help the Comets close out the game.
UP NEXT
The Comets will stay in Columbus this weekend as they host the Kenyon Owls in The Capital Center Performance Arena. That game will be on Saturday, November 16 at 5:00 p.m.
