Capital used a second-half surge to power past Muskingum on Thursday night, 70-62.
The Basics
• Records: Muskingum (2-3 overall, 0-2 OAC), Capital (5-2 overall, 2-0 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Anne C. Steele Center
Inside the Numbers
• Senior Devon Peart led the Muskie offense with 17 points and came down with four rebounds.
• Junior Cameron Miller tallied 10 points and came up with four rebounds.
• Senior Brandon Keyes led the team in rebounds with five and notched nine points.
• Senior Jalen Paige added eight points and two assists.
• As a team, the Muskies went 23-for-59 (39.0%) from the field and 8-for-29 from the arc (27.6%).
• Austin Schreck led Capital in scoring with 16 points while Caleb Cox and Gavin Wildermuth recorded 13 points each.
• Capital made 37.3% of their shots (22-for-59), went 6-for-17 from the arc (35.3%), and ended the contest going 20-for-27 from the free-throw line (74.1%).
Game Highlights
The Muskies started off strong with a 10-0 run ignited by a pull up jumper from Peart. With 13:51 remaining, Capital made a layup to end the Muskie's offensive spurt. The Crusaders answered with a 12-3 run to make it 13-12 at the 9:40 mark. Muskingum held the lead with a 10-4 run after Keyes dribbled through the defense and made a layup, giving them a 23-16 advantage with 5:27 on the clock. Capital used a 10-3 run to come back and tie the game, 26-26, with 1:42 left to play. Paige hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put the Muskies up, 29-26, at the break.
In the second half, Capital managed to come back and tie the game, 31-31, after Weingartner knocked down a three-pointer at the 18:02 mark. Over the following three minutes, the teams traded baskets, with neither squad leading by more than four points. With 14:47 remaining, Dan Auble hit a three-pointer for Capital and put them up, 40-34. Freshman MJ Smith made a three-point shot to spark a 10-4 run for the Muskies, tying the game (44-44) with 12:44 on the clock. The Crusaders regained the lead after a 14-5 run, making it 58-49 at the 6:15 mark. With 2:39 left to play, Muskingum cut down Capital's lead to four points, 62-58, after Peart made two free-throws. The Muskies were outscored 8-4 in the final minutes of play and fell to the Crusaders, 70-62.
Up Next
Muskingum next travels to John Carroll on Saturday, December 8. Game time is slotted for 1:00 p.m.
