(MARIETTA, Ohio) - A pair of large first half runs propelled the No. 25-ranked Capital University women's basketball team to a 90-51 Ohio Athletic Conference victory over Marietta College Saturday at Ban Johnson Arena.
Capital won its fourth straight game and improves to 9-2 (4-1 OAC), while the Pioneers fell to 3-8 (0-5 OAC). The 90 points scored marked a season high for the Crusaders.
An 8-0 run, capped by a pair of sophomore forward Chelsea Ruoff (Grove City/Grove City) free throws, broke open a game that was tied at 12. Later in the half, junior guard Heather McAlpin (Cincinnati/Colerain) made a layup before the half that ended a 10-3 Crusaders run and put Capital ahead 40-25 at the break.
In the second half, the Pioneers could get no closer than 13 points, as a 20-5 Crusaders run gave the team a 65-37 lead with 11:50 remaining. Capital outscored Marietta by a 50-26 margin in the second half, holding the Pioneers without a field goal over the final 9:06 of the game, and also held a 50-33 edge in rebounding for the contest.
McAlpin finished with a season-high 16 points, and she also added seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore guard Kristen Richardson (Oxford/Talawanda) tallied 14 points and Ruoff scored a career-high 13 points off the bench. Junior forward Caitlin Elsass (Batavia/Clermont Northeastern) recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Justine Pagenhardt scored a game-high 18 points for Marietta while Nikki Driscoll and Amanda Carraher combined to hit eight three-pointers and score 27 points.
The Crusaders will play Mount Union College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 9) in Alliance, Ohio.