Box ScoreOhio Athletic Conference men’s basketball home pageCOLUMBUS – The Capital University men’s basketball team won its 11th Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship Saturday thanks to a 60-55 victory over Muskingum at the Capital Center.
The Crusaders closed the book on the regular season with a 16-9 overall record and 13-5 mark in OAC play, and will share the conference title with the winner of the John Carroll-Marietta game to take place later today.
“It wasn’t pretty, but the bottom line is that we got it done,” Capital coach Damon Goodwin said. “Our goal every year is to come out and compete for a conference championship. We were 5-6 on January 2, but our guys started believing and we got it done.”
Capital begins OAC Tournament play Thursday as the No. 2 seed, hosting the No. 3, 6 or 7 seed in the tournament semifinals. A win Thursday would put the Crusaders in the OAC Tournament championship game, which will be played Saturday at the home site of the highest remaining seed. The winner of that contest will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
After taking a 21-point lead through one period, Capital slowed in the second half, allowing the Muskies (8-17, 5-13) to close within four at the 2:16 mark and three with 13 seconds to play. Clutch free throw shooting by senior guard Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio) allowed the Crusaders to escape with the win.
“I’m just trying to be a senior leader,” Winter said. “It’s my job to go out there and make free throws.”
Winter finished with 16 points and seven rebounds and made 10-of-11 free throws, including all six he attempted in the final 28 seconds. Junior Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, Ohio) led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Winter and fellow senior Tyler Munro (Lexington, Ohio) were recognized prior to their final regular season home game as Crusaders.
“Our seniors have been unbelievable,” Goodwin said. “They have a lot of heart. Tyler started coming off the bench this season, but took it like a man and has been a big contributor. Kelly came a long way from his freshman year.”
In the first half, Capital took Muskingum out of its offense, forcing eight turnovers with a full-court press and converting 50 percent from the floor and 11-of-13 from the free throw line. The Crusaders held a 17-8 advantage through the first 11 minutes and soon took a 34-16 lead, their largest of the half to that point, with 2:51 left.
Capital scored the last two baskets of the period to take a 38-17 lead into the locker room.
The Crusaders held a double-digit lead through the first 8 1/2 minutes of the second half before Muskingum rallied to cut their deficit to two possessions with three minutes to play.
“Everyone came out ready to play in the first half,” Munro said. “We came out a little flat in the second half, but we believed we were the better team and buckled down in the end. It was a big win.”
Capital converted just five field goals in the period and was outscored 38-22 by Muskingum, but made 11-of-15 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
With the win, the Crusaders snapped their two-game skid, won their fourth conference title in the last 10 years and reached the OAC Tournament semifinals for the sixth straight season.
“We’ve hit a little bit of a lull recently, but hopefully we can take these extra days off and recover by Thursday,” Goodwin said.
Thursday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital Center.