by Kirby Boehm
This past Saturday the Rike Center played host to the Crusaders’ men and women basketball teams. The Crusaders won both matchups over the rival Cardinals much to the delight of Capital students who made the trip in an attempt to Occupy Otterbein.
The Occupy Otterbein movement began last year when Nate Campbell, senior, approached Athletic Director, Dr. Bruning, to inquire about transporting students to Otterbein for the game. A plan was put in place to provide bussing to Otterbein to create an atmosphere overflowing with school pride.
The students embraced the idea and flocked to the game. The success from last year’s game had the student body excited about what Saturday’s game would bring. Anticipation was felt across campus during the week and Saturday couldn’t come soon enough for the Crusaders.
When the Lady Crusaders tipped off at 5:30 p.m. many Capital students had yet to arrive, but that didn’t hinder Capital as they fought their way to a 75-58 victory over their rivals.
The Lady Crusaders were very successful on the offensive end of the floor, matching their previous season high point total. The Crusaders were red hot from the field, shooting just under 50 percent for the game.
The Crusaders were led by Cookie Geroski, senior, who recorded a career high 27 points in the game. Geroski was perfect from beyond the arc going 6-6 from behind the three-point line. Also a guard, Geroski led the team in rebounds with eight, while sophomore Simonne Gage led the team with nine assists.
“Everyone came into the game refusing to lose which kept us hyped,” Geroski said. “Most importantly we were ready to win. It was an awesome team win for us moving forward.”
The win from the women’s game created momentum going into the men’s game as students began to fill in the assigned student section. Before long, over 110 Capital students filled the bleachers of the Rike Center, making their presence known.
“The atmosphere and participation is awesome,” Campbell said. “It’s a great way to show pride in your school.”
The Crusaders were fueled by the emotion in the stands and showed no rust after having a game postponed earlier in the week. The Crusaders jumped on Otterbein going up 10-2 in the opening minutes. The Crusaders executed their game plan and ended up on the right side of the 78-60 score.
Capital shot 48 percent from the field while holding Otterbein to under 40 percent on the game and under 30 percent in the second half. The Crusaders were near perfect from the free throw line going 22-23 and used foul shots to pad their lead throughout the second half.
AJ Dixon, sophomore guard, scored 24 points as he led the team in points, rebounds, and assists. Ben Jackson, senior, also contributed 13 points while Mike Augustine, junior, had 10.
The wins by each team move the men’s team to 5-7 on the year and the women’s team to 7-5. Overall it was a great day for the Cap Fam as both teams were victorious and the students came out in full force to cheer them on. However, many actions from the student section were embarrassing to the university.
Many of the chants contained profanity along with homophobic and racial slurs. As students, we are given a great deal of freedom when it comes to how we act during the basketball games. It is important that at games we remember we are representing Capital University.
“The representation of the school needs to improve – it’s that simple,” Campbell said.
Everything we do as a student body doesn’t come back to us individually, but instead acts as a black eye for the university. The Cap Fam motto is something that everyone at this school gravitates to and respects. Continue cheer on Capital University teams, just remember that whether it’s a purple out or not, you are always representing Capital University.
kboehm@capital.edu
