1/28/2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An offensive outburst from the Capital University men’s basketball team lead to a 97-79 romp of visiting John Carroll University on Friday evening, led largely off the hot hands of David Sanford, Ryan Roth and Kaleb Crawford. 

Capital (10-8, 5-6 OAC) shot a sharp 48.6% for the game from the floor, including a 53.8% clip in the second half alone to lead them to a series sweep of the Blue Streaks this season. The Purple and White also efficiently used their opportunities at the free throw line, converting 16-of-19 – an 84% success rate. 

The win also enabled Capital to get back on track at The Capital Center as it was the team’s first win at home since December 8, 2021, a two-game run of dry games at home. 

David Sanford led all players in scoring with 21 points on just shy of 50% shooting. Kaleb Crawford and Ryan Roth each added 19 points as well. Crawford put up the basketball successfully 57% of the time, while Roth was in range as soon as he walked in the gym, dropping in 66% of his shots, including splashing 5-of-8 from behind the arc, including a few that might have been from a different area code. 

Tyler Schreck continued his dominance on the glass as he led all players with 13 rebounds. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was quite competitive in the early stages with the two teams sharing a fairly equal amount of the ball and the scoring. While Capital held a slight lead for the majority of the first half, they were never able to put together a solid run to put some distance between themselves and their opponents. However, that was soon to change as in the waning moments of the first half Kaleb Crawford made a deposit at the bank and knocked down a buzzer beater three off the glass. 

This sent shockwaves through the crowd and the team as Capital came alive in the second half, stringing together multiple short runs to create some separation on the scoreboard. They were able to draw an abundance of fouls on the offensive end and were rewarded with 13 attempts at the charity stripe. More importantly, Capital was able to knock down their free chances at a rate of 76 percent for the final 20 minutes. The Purple and White were feeling themselves from deep, shooting 53 percent on 7-of-13 attempts in the period. Along with stellar shooting, Cap played stout defense, forcing JCU to an 18-point deficit to round out the game. The trio of Crawford, Roth, and Sanford combined for 36 of the team’s 53 points in the second half. 

The Capital bench got a big ole piece of the pie as 40 of the team’s 97 points came from the pine, outscoring JCU’s bench by 22. When it came to loose balls Capital took advantage of the Blue Streaks’ mishaps with 12 points off turnovers. In terms of shooting, Cap shot at a nearly 50-percent clip from deep with 13 three-pointers on 27 attempts, and 48.6 percent overall on 34-70 from the field. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Capital locked up the OAC’s leading scorer in Jackson Sartain, limiting the hot-shooter to just 11 points and an 0-for-3 mark from beyond the arc. 

For the second consecutive game, David Sanford dropped in 20+ points. In the two games this week, Sanford averaged 20.5 points per game and shot an even 50% from the field. 

Griffin Doseck quietly put together a solid game, scoring 10 points, recording seven rebounds, dishing out four assists, and swiping two steals. 

Joe Thompson also stepped up off the bench as he got nine points on 75% shooting the ball. 

THE OPPONENT
Eric Hanna scored a team-best 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. He also paced the team with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Capital will remain home for their next game, on Wednesday, February 2nd. The Purple and White will welcome Wilmington to the Capital Center for a 7 p.m. tip. 

COURTESY CAPITAL SPORTS INFORMATION