Capital 70, Ohio Wesleyan 68

Dec. 1, 2007

Senior post Jesse Jean (Alexandria, Va./Hyde (Conn.) School) scored with :20 left in regulation time to tie the game at 68-68, but Capital's Steve Kyser scored on a tip-in with :02 remaining to lift the Crusaders over the Battling Bishops in non-conference action on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Capital had taken a 66-59 lead on Nate Stahl's 3-point play with exactly 4 minutes remaining in regulation time, but the Bishops answered with a 3-point play from Jean and a free throw by senior post Dustin Rudegeair (Yellow Springs) to close within 66-63 with 3:08 to play.

Stahl hit a jumper in the lane to give the Crusaders a 68-63 lead, but Rudegeair answered with a 3-point play, and after each team recorded a stop, Jean scored from inside to tie the game at 68-68 with :20 to play.

The Crusaders worked the clock for the last shot, and D.J. Frazier's jumper from the left side with :05 left was off the mark, but Kyser was there in the lane and tipped the ball in with :02 remaining to give Capital the lead, and the Crusaders' Quintin Mitchell came up with a steal on a long pass on the ensuing inbounds play to seal the win.

After a first half that featured 8 ties and a handful of lead changes, the Crusaders broke a 34-34 deadlock with 9 straight points to take a 43-34 lead at the half. Jamie Yoder started the Capital run with a free throw, then Ryan Wood hit a 3-pointer and Jake Fanning sank a pair of free throws before Yoder finished the half with a 3-pointer, and the Crusaders extended their lead to 48-37 on Stahl's jumper early in the second half.

The Bishops bounced back with a 20-2 run, starting with a pair of baskets by Jean and buckets by Rudegeair and senior wing Brian Cafarella (Westerville/North) that brought the Bishops within 48-43. Wood hit a lay-in to make it 50-45, but the Bishops scored the next 12 points, with senior post Ryan Rozak (Fairview Park/Fairview) burying a 3-pointer, Rudegeair contributing 2 baskets and 2 free throws, and junior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) adding a basket for a 57-50 Ohio Wesleyan lead at the midway point of the period.

Capital responded with a 13-2 run that included 3-pointers by Frazier and Wood, a bucket by Steve Kyser, a pair of free throws by Casey Brown, and a 3-point play by Stahl that gave Capital the 66-59 lead with 4:00 to go.

Rudegeair led the Bishops with 22 points, while Jean finished with 18 points and Cafarella scored 10 points and led the Bishops with 4 assists. Junior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds.

Wood led Capital with 25 points and Stahl added 12 points and led the Crusaders with 8 rebounds.

Box Score