BEREA, Ohio –The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team held off Capital University in an Ohio Athletic Conference and Al Sirat Grotto game by a final score of 67-65 in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
BW (16-7, 10-6 OAC), who won the season series for the first time since 2014-15 and the third time in the last 10 seasons, had three players score in double figures led by sophomore guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Jay Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln) as each scored 16 points. Quiring was the named was the Al Sirat Grotto Player of the Game for the Yellow Jackets. In addition, senior All-OAC forward Jake Fetherolf (Norwalk) contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
Capital (11-12, 7-9 OAC), who is now 2-8 in the last 10 games in Berea, had three players score in double digits led by junior All-OAC guard Austin Schreck as he scored 16 points, grabbed a game-high tying eight rebounds and dished out a game-high nine assists. Schreck was named the Al Sirat Grotto Player of the Game for the Crusaders. Junior guard Joey Weingartner scored a game-high 20 points and junior guard Will Hannah chipped in 13 points.
BW jumped out to an 8-2 lead on a triple by Kuhn at the 17:05 mark. Capital responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 8-8 on a jumper by Cox at 15:45. Over the next five minutes, the teams would combine for five points with the Yellow Jackets holding a 14-13 lead. The Crusaders responded with a 9-4 run to take a 22-18 lead on a jumper by Schreck the 7:00 mark. BW answered with a 13-3 run to take a 31-25 lead on a layup by junior guard Kyle Nader (Vermilion) at 2:55. Capital closed the half on a 5-2 run but trailed 33-30 at the halftime. Junior forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) knocked down a jumper for the Yellow Jackets as time expired.
The Crusaders cut the lead down to 37-36 when Schreck scored on a jumper at the 17:16 mark. BW went on a 7-0 run to push its lead to 44-36 on a pair of free throws by Battle at 15:18. Capital cut the lead down to 48-44 on a Weingartner layup at the 11:45 mark. The Crusaders took the lead at 58-57 on a jumper in the paint by Schreck at 3:13. The Yellow Jackets closed the game on a 10-7 run to secure the victory. BW put the game away with a big three-pointer by Quiring with 40 seconds remaining. Capital got a three-pointer from Weingartner as time expired to close out the scoring.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, February 14 when they travel to Alliance for an OAC game against the University of Mount Union in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Center at 7:30 p.m. BW closes out the 2017-18 regular season portion of its schedule on Saturday, February 17 when it hosts an OAC game against Wilmington College on Seniors' and Parents' Day in the Ursprung Gym at 3 p.m.
The 2018 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, February 21. The semifinals will be played on Thursday, February 22 on the campuses of the highest remaining seeds. The championship game will be contested on Saturday, February 24 on the campus of the highest remaining seeds. Please visit www.bwyellowjackets.com for exact game times.
