BOX SCORE
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Four starters scored in double figures and Capital University's men's basketball team led wire-to-wire, defeating Mount Union College 95-56 in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Wednesday at The Capital Center.
The Crusaders (23-3), the tournament's second seed and ranked No. 11 in the nation, advance to play third-seed Ohio Northern University at 6 p.m. Friday at John Carroll University's DeCarlo Varsity Center. The Polar Bears defeated Marietta 62-52 in other quarterfinal action Wednesday.
Capital started the game on a 12-2 run as Mount Union missed its first six shots from the field. The Purple Raiders answered, though, and cut the score to 19-15 with nine minutes left.
But the Crusaders scored the next eleven points, part of a 16-2 run, to increase the lead to 35-17 with just over five minutes to play, and a three-pointer by senior guard Ryan Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Central HS) stretched the lead to 22 points before halftime.
The Crusaders shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and outrebounded Mount Union 20-13. Wood scored 12 of his game-high 15 points in the first half and senior forward Quintin Mitchell (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey HS) 11 of his 12 points, along with six of his game-high nine rebounds.
Capital scored the first five points of the second half and built the lead to as many as 40 points in the final minutes.
For the contest, the Crusaders hit a season-best 39-of-59 shots (66.1 percent), passed out 25 assists, and held a 34 to 19 advantage in rebounding. Capital also converted 13 Mount Union turnovers into 23 points, and the 95 points was the most by the team in a regulation game this season.
In addition to Wood and Mitchell, senior guard Nate Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) added 14 points and became the fourth player to score over 1,500 career points in school history. He now has 1,512 points and is 35 points from tying Ricky Lee for third on the all-time list.
Senior forward Ross Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS) tallied 11 points and tied a career-high with four assists, while sophomore guard DJ Frazier (Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow HS) had eight points and six rebounds. Capital's starters combined to hit 23-of-37 shots from the field and score 60 points.
Capital swept the season series from Ohio Northern, beating the Polar Bears 96-88 in an overtime game Jan. 10 in Columbus before recording a 68-64 win Feb. 14 in Ada.