Offense stalls as Men's Basketball falls 79-53 at Capital

By Scott Beaton

BEXLEY — The Ohio Northern men's basketball team shot just 29.8% from the floor Saturday afternoon, dropping a 79-53 scoreline at OAC foe Capital inside the Capital Center Performance Arena in Bexley, Ohio.

With the loss, the Polar Bears fall to 3-5 overall and 0-3 in the OAC. Meanwhile, the Crusaders improve to 6-2 on the season and remain unbeaten at 3-0 in conference play.

Freshman Daniel Unruh (Elida) scored 13 points and added six rebounds to pace the Polar Bear offense. Senior All-American Ryan Bruns (Chickasaw/Marion Local) contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and a season-high four blocked shots.

Austin Schreck scored 24 points, including 16 in the first half, to lead Capital's offense in the winning effort.

Unruh made the game's opening shot for the lone Polar Bear lead of the afternoon. However, Capital responded quickly with a 7-0 run and extended the lead to 40-20 before the first half came to a close. In the first 20 minutes, the Crusaders held ONU to a 24.0% shooting rate and forced 10 Northern turnovers.

In the second half, the Polar Bears shot an improved 34.4% from the floor, but the Crusaders continued to build their lead in the final stanza. Capital stretched its lead to 31 points, its largest lead on the afternoon, at the 10:29 and 9:56 marks to secure its third straight conference victory in the 2018-19 campaign.

Ohio Northern went 17-for-57 (29.8%) overall from the floor, including 4-for-19 (21.1%) from three-point range, while shooting 15-for-27 (55.6%) from the free throw line. Capital converted 27-of-65 (41.5%) shot attempts, including 8-of-19 (42.1%) three-point attempts, and finished the afternoon at 17-of-24 (70.8%) on free throws.

The Polar Bears will return to the court when they host John Carroll next Saturday, December 15. Game time is set for 2 p.m. inside the ONU Sports Center in Ada.