COLUMBUS, Ohio - A 16-1 run to close the first half propelled Capital University's women's basketball team to a 74-43 victory over previously unbeaten Wilmington College Thursday in Ohio Athletic Conference play at The Capital Center.
The Crusaders improved to 4-1 (2-0 OAC) on the season, while the Quakers dropped to 5-1 (1-1 OAC). Both teams were receiving votes in the latest D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll.
Capital led 22-21 with 5:32 left when a layup by sophomore forward Lindsay Watt (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North HS) started the game-changing run that ended the half. A jumper in the paint by junior guard Kristen Richardson (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda HS) bumped Capital's lead to 10 at 31-21, while a three-pointer and another jumper by freshman guard Hilary Kuhns (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield HS) capped the run and gave Capital a 38-22 lead at the break.
Kuhns scored all 14 of her team and season-high points in the first half, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field and both of her three-point attempts. Capital shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) in the frame as opposed to just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) for Wilmington, and the Crusaders also forced 13 Quaker turnovers in the period.
In the second half, Wilmington trimmed Capital's lead to 45-34 at the 14:02 mark, but the Crusaders answered with a 13-2 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by junior guard Abbey Winland (Zanesville, Ohio/Zanesville HS) and another triple hit by senior guard Katy Lafferty (Batavia, Ohio/Clermont Northeastern) pushed Capital's lead to 58-36 with 8:43 left. The Crusaders led by at least 20 points the remainder of the contest.
Senior forward Caitlin Elsass (Batavia, Ohio/Clermont Northeastern HS) tallied 12 points, nine rebounds, a career-high five assists and four steals. Junior guard Audrey Mitchell (Lithopolis, Ohio/Bloom Carroll HS) scored a career-high eight points off the bench.
The Crusaders limited Wilmington to just 21.6 percent shooting for the game and scored 30 points off of Wilmington's 28 turnovers. The Crusaders had 19 assists on 27 made buckets and shot 54 percent from the field for the game, including 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
Capital will hit the road Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off against John Carroll University in University Heights.