Box Score
Capital 81, Ohio Wesleyan 78

Freshman wing Aiden Schmidt (Dublin/Coffman), junior guard Henry Hinkle (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), and sophomore wing Isaac Ward (Circleville/Logan Elm) combined for all 10 points during a 10-4 burst that gave Ohio Wesleyan the lead, but Capital answered with a 9-0 run and held off a Bishop comeback to escape with a non-conference win on Tuesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

With the score tied at 44, Hinkle split a pair of free throws and Schmidt followed with a fast-break lay-in for a 47-44 Bishop lead.  After the teams traded points, Schmidt hit another lay-in and Ward buried a 3-pointer to give the Bishops a 54-48 advantage.

Capital countered with a Carter Combs 3-pointer, a pair of free throws and a lay-in from Dom Moegerle, and a jumper by McKane Finkenbine to take a 57-54 lead at the 11:25 mark of the second half.

The Comets still led, 70-65, on a Baden Forup jumper with less than 3 minutes to play, but a 3-pointer by junior wing David Rice (Cleveland/Parma Padua Franciscan) made it a one-possession game, and after Rice converted a 3-point play to counter a Nate Gerber jumper, the Bishops were within 72-71 with 1:49 left in regulation time.

Finkenbine sank a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 3, but Rice responded with a lay-in at the 1:24 mark to restore the one-point margin.

Combs connected on another 3-pointer for the Comets, but Hinkle sank a pair of free throws to once again make it a one-possession game with :42 remaining.

On Capital's ensuing possession, Finkenbine misfired on a lay-in, but Forup was there for the putback for a 79-75 Comet lead.

Gerber added a fast-break lay-in with 3 seconds to play, allowing the visitors to withstand a 3-pointer at the buzzer by sophomore wing Jessee Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln).

Ohio Wesleyan led by as many as 9 points during the first half, with Hinkle and Ward hitting back-to-back lay-ins for a 36-27 advantage, but Capital responded by scoring the next 8 points, with Finkenbine contributing a 3-pointer during that run.  The Comets erased a 4-point halftime deficit with a pair of free throws, a jumper, and a tip-in by Forup during the opening minutes of the second half, evening the score at 44.

Hinkle led the Bishops with 19 points and 7 assists.  Ward finished with 13 points, Rice and Battle scored 10 apiece, and senior post Tony Carter (Cleveland/Parma Heights Holy Name) snared a game-high 9 rebounds.

Box Score