Related Links:OAC Tournament pageThe Capital University women’s basketball team hosts an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament second round game this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital Center.
The Crusaders, who are the No. 4 seed in the tournament, will host the winner of Monday’s contest between fifth-seeded Baldwin-Wallace and No. 8 Marietta. The winner of Tuesday’s game will travel to Alliance, Ohio, to take on regular season champion and No. 1 seed Mount Union in the semifinals.
Capital (17-8 overall) concluded the regular season with three straight wins to finish at 12-6 in league play, good for fourth place in the standings. The streak included wins against each of its potential opponents for Tuesday’s game as well as a 77-63 victory at Muskingum on Saturday. Seniors Shalena Hawkins (Cincinnati, Ohio; at right) and
Hilary Kuhns (Fairfield, Ohio) combined for 47 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Crusaders, who overcame a slow start with 47 second-half points, including 24-of-28 shooting from the free throw line in the period.
“Our two seniors have stepped up, and we’ve been a better rebounding team and a better defensive team,” said Capital coach Dixie Jeffers, who posted her 600th career win on Jan. 2. “We’re playing with more energy. By no means does a first-round bye guarantee a win … it’s a new season, and we’ll have to play well whether it’s B-W or Marietta.”
In its last four games, Capital is averaging 74.5 points and shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Both marks are well above the team’s season averages of 64.8 points and 41.3 percent.
“I think our execution has been good,” Jeffers said. “We’ve been able to grab defensive rebounds and run the floor. We’re at our best when we open up the floor and run. It’s the style I want to coach, and it’s the style people want to watch.”
Hawkins leads the Crusaders and ranks among OAC leaders in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), field goal percentage (.549) and free throw percentage (.761). She has eight double-doubles and has scored in double figures in all but three games this season.
Sophomore Cookie Geroski emerged as one of the most efficient point guards in the league during the regular season. Through games of Feb. 16, the Fostoria, Ohio, native leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05-to-1) and has a team-best 89 assists for the year.
Defensively, the Crusaders rank second in the conference in field goal percentage (.371) and fourth in scoring, surrendering just 59.2 points per contest.
Kuhns leads the interior defense, leading the team and ranking third in the conference in blocked shots with 29. Junior Rebekah Will (Millbury, Ohio) has been disruptive on the perimeter, ranking eighth in the league with 51 steals.
Baldwin-Wallace (16-9) enters postseason play with five wins in its last seven games. The Yellow Jackets defeated second-place Ohio Northern 70-65 in their regular season finale on Saturday in Berea.
Baldwin-Wallace ranks second in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 57.9 points per contest. The Yellow Jackets are one of the deepest teams in the league, as 11 players have played in at least 16 games this season, and nine average at least 14 minutes per game. Jessica Lairson leads the team with 11.3 points per game.
Capital and Baldwin-Wallace split a pair of games during the regular season. The Crusaders won the most recent by a 71-39 margin on Feb. 11 in Columbus, while the Yellow Jackets were victorious in a 57-50 decision on Jan. 7 in Berea.
Marietta (10-15) has lost eight of its last nine, including a 93-63 defeat at John Carroll on Saturday. The Pioneers finished the regular season in eighth with a 5-13 mark in conference play.
Marietta enters postseason play as one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the league, ranking second in both 3-point field goal percentage (.325) and free throw percentage (.721). Aleisha Guiler leads the team with 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
The Crusaders swept the season series, besting the Pioneers 80-79 on Jan. 11 at Marietta and 78-60 last Wednesday in Columbus.
Entering games Saturday, four Capital players ranked in the top 10 in the OAC in minutes per game. While the Crusaders’ heavy reliance on six or seven players in a short rotation concerns the coaching staff, the goal in postseason play is simple: survive and advance.
“We knew it was going to be like this (coming into the season),” Jeffers said. “By now, adrenaline should take over and fatigue shouldn’t be an issue.”