WOOSTER, OHIO — Capital held R-MC scoreless for a nine minute in the second-half as the Crusaders rallied for a 68-60 over Randolph-Macon in the First-Round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament.
R-MC finishes the season 21-7 and made its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
After a Connor Sullivan three-pointer gave R-MC a 55-48 lead with 10:03 to go in the game, Capital would reel off the next 14 points taking a 62-55 lead on a lay in by Kelly Winter.
A Calvin Croskey three pointer would draw the Jackets to four at 62-58 with 1:06 to play.
After a defensive stop, Lamar Giggetts made a bucket to cut the Crusaders lead to 62-60. As Capital was attempting to throw the ball in, R-MC’s Andre Simon was pushed into the Crusader player taking the ball out. After the referees met, Simon was charged with a technical foul.
Winter would make two free-throws and then Mitch Westerheide would make a pair to give Capital a 66-60 lead and seal the game.
The Yellow Jackets came out hot, making five of their first seven shots, taking an 8-0 lead on a Giggetts jumper with 15:29 to go in the half.
A Trent Walker layup would put R-MC out in front 12-3 before Capital rattled off eight straight points to pull within one at 12-11 with 12:20 play.
R-MC responded with a 12-2 run capped by a Croskey three-pointer that made the score 24-13 with just under eight minutes to go.
A Kelly Winter jumper got Capital to within six at 24-18 with less than five minutes to play before R-MC scored 10 of the final 14 points of the half to take a 34-22 lead to the locker room.
Capital rallied scoring the first nine points of the second half, with a Spencer NIekamp three pointer making the score 34-31.
Randolph-Macon would push its lead back up to eight on two occasions, but Capital continued to stay close, allowing the Crusaders to make the decisive run down the stretch.
Croskey finished the game with a team-high 19 point, while Giggetts had 12. Adam Desgain had eight points as well for R-MC.
Winter finished with a game-high 20 points for Capital, while Niekamp scored 16 in the win.
