Photo By: Abby Skoda
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - A 14-2 second half run broke open a tied game and sent the No. 17 Capital University women's basketball team to a 62-51 victory over Ohio Athletic Conference for John Carroll University Saturday in The Capital Center.
The victory pushes the Crusaders to 6-2 (2-1 OAC), while the Blue Streaks fell to 2-4 (0-2 OAC) on the season.
A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Kristen Richardson (Oxford/Talawanda) gave Capital a 42-41 lead, followed by a layup from junior forward Caitlin Elsass (Batavia/Clermont Northeastern) and a three-pointer by junior guard Caitlin Graessle (Galloway/Bishop Ready) put the Crusaders ahead by six. After a layup by Blue Streaks guard Rachel Price cut the score to 47-43, Capital answered with another 7-0 run, capped off by a layup from junior guard Heather McAlpin (Cincinnati/Colerain) to give the Crusaders a 54-43 lead with 8:09 remaining.
The Crusaders outscored John Carroll 33-18 in the second half after trailing 33-29 at the break. Capital led by six with 3:38 to go before the break, but the Blue Streaks closed the half on a 12-2 run.
Graessle scored a season and game-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while McAlpin recorded a double-double by scoring 10 points and pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds. Richardson and Elsass also scored in double figures with 12 points each, and Elsass grabbed nine rebounds. Price led the way for John Carroll with 15 points.
Capital will host Muskingum College at 3 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 15, in The Capital Center.