Napier-led Men's Basketball topped 79-59 by Capital after cold 2nd half
By Scott Beaton
BEXLEY — Freshman C.J. Napier (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) netted 20 points and hauled in seven rebounds, but the Ohio Northern men's basketball team fell 79-59 at Capital after leading 37-34 at the half on Saturday afternoon at the Capital Center.
The Polar Bears move to 6-11 overall and 2-8 in the Ohio Athletic Conference while the Crusaders improve to 9-8 overall and 5-5 in conference action.
ONU was hot in the first half, shooting 55.2% from the field before CU clamped down defensively, holding Northern to just 20.0% shooting in the final 20 minutes.
Freshman Landen Long (Mason) tied the game at 43-43 with 15:29 to go, but the Polar Bears were held scoreless for the next 6:02 as Capital took a commanding 55-43 lead.
A 3-pointer from senior Caleb Bryan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) ended the ONU scoring drought, bringing the Polar Bears to within nine.
Northern trailed by double figures the remainder of the game as the Crusaders gained their largest lead of the night, 79-59, with 27 seconds to play.
Ohio Northern was 22-for-59 (37.3%) from the floor and 5-for-24 (20.8%) from 3-point range while Capital was 30-for-64 (46.9%) overall and 7-for-20 (35%) from long range.
The Polar Bears return to action with a road contest at Wilmington on Wednesday at 7 p.m.