In their OAC Tournament opener, the women’s basketball team defeated Baldwin-Wallace 63-54, moving into the tournament’s semifinals.
Sophomore guard Cookie Geroski led the Crusaders with 19 points, more than ten points over her season average.
Forwards Jamie Caton and Hilary Kuhns also gave the team ten points each.
Junior forward Stacy Timmerman put in perhaps the game’s most well-rounded performance, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds, scoring eight points and distributing four assists in her 35 minutes of playing time.
The game started slow, and defenses dominated the first half. Capital went into halftime leading only 22-18, with neither team shooting better than 35 percent.
Both teams were more efficient after the half, each side doubling their first half point totals within 12 minutes.
The game was close for much of the second half, and at 40-37, the Crusaders seemed unable to pull away.
For the next three minutes, however, the team went on a 10-2 run, stretching their lead to 50-39. They would not give the lead back.
With the victory, the team earned a place in the semifinals of the OAC Tournament, where they will face number one seed Mount Union tonight in Alliance, OH.
The Purple Raiders swept the Crusaders in their two season matchups, but Capital has gone 5-2 in their seven games since the teams’ last matchup.
Meanwhile, after a victory over Muskingum Saturday, the men’s basketball team earned a share of the regular season OAC title and a bye in the first round of the tournament.
The men will take on Ohio Northern tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Capital Center in the semifinals of the tournament.
In the teams’ last matchup, the Crusaders earned a narrow 80-77 victory at home.
