Box Score
Capital built a big lead then held off a charge from Ohio Northern to prevail, 63-58, in the first of two Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal round match-ups staged Friday evening at the DeCarlo Varsity Center in University Heights, Ohio.
Click here for the 2009 OAC Tournament Central website
During their regular season games, Ohio Northern University and Capital University played down to the wire, with Capital University ending both games as the victor. Friday night turned out to be no different, as the Crusaders held on to advance to their third consecutive OAC title game.
Although Capital held the lead for most of the first and second half, ONU made things interesting in the final minutes of the game. With 4:46 remaining, ONU's Sam Bastian made two foul shots to pull the Polar Bears within one, making the score 52-51. With 3:05 remaining, Ezra Bradshaw made two free throws to again make it just a one-point difference, at 54-53.
Try as they might, Capital could not seal the victory until the final ten seconds. A missed free throw with 11 seconds remaining by Capital kept the margin at three points, giving the Polar Bears one last chance to erase their 61-58 deficit.
Just as quickly as the drama heightened, it would subside when Bradshaw threw a pass into the waiting hands of Capital's DJ Frazier. After being fouled, Frazier made both free throws for the final margin.
Although the Polar Bears made several attempts at tying or taking the lead, Capital never gave up the lead during either half.
Capital's biggest advantage came with 3:31 remaining in the first half. Nate Stahl hit a three-pointer, making the score 29-18 and giving the Crusaders an 11-point lead.
ONU would try to fight back, at one point closing the gap to six. But eventually Capital would end the first half with winning by a 32-22.
Capital (24-3) was paced by Stahl and Quintin Mitchell, each of whom poured in 14 points. The Crusaders were efficient if not spectacular in shooting the ball, going 20-45 (.444) from the field and making three of their six three-point field goal attempts.
Ohio Northern (18-9) simply struggled shooting the ball, as they managed just one make in 17 attempts from beyond the arc. Kyle Meyer was the lone Polar Bear player in double figures, scoring a game-high 20 points