COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Spearheaded by a 22-8 run to start the second half, the 10th ranked Capital University men's basketball team defeated John Carroll University 81-75 Saturday in The Capital Center.
Capital (7-1, 2-1 OAC) won a seesaw battle that saw five ties, six lead changes and the Blue Streaks nearly rallying back from a 14-point second half deficit.
"We made some adjustments in the first half and cut down on our turnovers," head coach Damon Goodwin said. "This was a big win for us. We needed this win to stay with the leaders in the conference."
The defending conference champions were paced by senior Nate Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS), who scored 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting in 34 minutes.
"We came out with a lot of energy today. (John Carroll) made a run, but we were able to come back with one of our own and held on for a win," said Stahl, who connected on four three-point shots and added four blocked shots.
Classmate Casey Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Ready HS) followed with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting and hauled down a career-high 14 rebounds in 23 minutes. For the game, the Crusaders outrebounded the Blue Streaks 48-28.
Fellow seniors Ryan Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) and Quintin Mitchell (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Libbey HS) tallied 10 points apiece. Mitchell grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
A critical moment in the game came with 1:16 remaining with Capital ahead 73-70. Senior Jamie Yoder (West Holmes, Ohio/West Holmes HS) nailed a three-point shot from the left corner to double Capital's lead.
"We were trying to run some time off the clock when I got an open look," Yoder said. "I fired it up with confidence, and fortunately the shot went in."
The Crusaders will travel to Ohio Dominican at 7:30 p.m. Thursday before returning home next Saturday to take on Muskingum College, with a 2 p.m. tip-off for that game.