BOX SCORE
GRANVILLE, Ohio - Senior wing
Nate Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) scored a game-high 23 points and the Crusaders used an early 15-2 surge as Capital University's men's basketball team defeated Denison University 87-63 Sunday in Granville.
Stahl connected on 8-of-12 shots from the field and hit four 3-pointers - all coming in the second half - as he scored over 20 points for the second time in three games. Fellow seniors in forward Ross Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) and guard Ryan Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Stahl scored seven points in Capital's run that saw the Crusaders (4-0) move their lead from 8-7 to 23-9 in three and a half minutes in the first half. Stahl hit three free throws, a layup in transition and a deep jumper in that span. The run was capped off by a three-point play by sophomore forward Adam Johns (St. Marys, Ohio/St. Marys HS) and a Wood three-pointer with 11:47 left in the half.
Denison (1-3) never came within 12 points after that point, as Capital led by as many as 20 points in the first half and 30 late in the second half.
The Crusaders shot 55.6 percent from the floor for the game, making 33-of-58 shots, and also hit 10-of-21 from beyond the arc. Capital forced Denison into 19 turnovers and limited the Big Red to 40.4 percent shooting.
Johns came off the bench to score nine points and grab six rebounds in just 16 minutes of action, while senior forward Quintin Mitchell (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey HS) highlighted his eight-point performance with a steal and coast-to-coast two-handed dunk in the second half.
Capital continues non-conference play with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Ohio Wesleyan University Wednesday in The Capital Center.