BOX SCORE
COLUMBUS, Ohio - In a highly competitive contest that saw 12 lead changes, the #14 Capital men’s basketball team earned a well-deserved 89-84 win over Kenyon College. The Crusaders (10-1, 3-1 Ohio Athletic Conference) won an offensive affair that saw both teams have five players in double figures.
“This team does whatever is necessary to win,” Capital head coach Damon Goodwin said. “We’ll have a few weeks to get our legs back and work on our defense. Kenyon’s a good team, and we were fortunate our offense stepped up to get the win.”
Senior guard Ryan Wood (Pickerington, OH/Pickerington Central HS) was the catalyst for Capital, matching his career high with 28 points on 7-of-11 shooting (4-for-5 from three-point range).
“I’ve been struggling lately, but my coaches kept telling me to keep shooting, and it worked well tonight,” Wood said.
Wood and senior forward Ross Niekamp (St. Henry, OH/St. Henry HS) were the anchors on offense in the first half, scoring 10 and nine points, respectively. Despite outrebounding the Lords 19-16, Capital trailed 45-40 at the conclusion of a first half that witnessed five lead changes.
“We didn’t change anything at halftime. Coach just told us to come out and finish our shots inside and play with more energy,” said Wood, who also converted on all 10 of his free throw attempts overall.
Senior All-American wing Nate Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) entered the Top 10 on the Capital all-time scoring list with a pair of free throws at the 9:50 mark. He finished the game with seven points on the night and now has 1,305 career points to rank 10th all-time in CU history.
Wood’s hot shooting also carried over to the second half, as his three-point shot 4:19 into the second half knotted the score at 51 all. Senior guard Jake Fanning (Danbury, Ohio/Danbury HS) hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Crusaders a 54-53 lead. Fanning finished with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-3 from three point range).
Capital would regain the lead with 7:40 left in the contest at 69-68 when senior forward Quintin Mitchell (Toledo, OH/ Toledo Libbey HS) converted a three-point play on a drive along the baseline that finished with an emphatic dunk and successful free throw shot. Mitchell scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Wood’s three-point play on the following possession gave the Crusaders their biggest lead to that point at 72-68 with 7:04 to play.
The game’s climax came in the last two minutes. Senior forward Casey Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Ready HS) hit two consecutive baskets in the paint that kept Capital ahead 83-82 with less than a minute remaining. Brown would finish with 10 points and six rebounds. Fanning then converted two free throws to increase the Crusader lead to 85-82 with 28.9 seconds left.
Capital’s winning points came by virtue of Wood, whose two free throw conversions put the Crusaders ahead 87-84 with 7.6 seconds left. Fanning’s two free throws with 1.4 seconds left gave Capital insurance points and an 89-84 victory.
“We have a lot of seniors on this team, which is one of our key components in winning these close games. We know the right plays to make down the stretch and how to close games out by hitting free throws,” said Niekamp, who finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Crusaders will welcome in 2009 by visiting OAC rival Mount Union College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7.