COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mount Union's men's basketball team, ranked No. 10 in the nation defeated Capital in an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup 73-64 on Saturday afternoon.
The Purple Raiders (19-3, 12-3 OAC) had three players score in double figures, with sophomore
Christian Parker (Canton / GlenOak) leading the way with a career-high 29-point, 14 rebound double-double.
Senior
Braedon Poole (McDonald) also had a double-double scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, with junior
Andrew Keller (Painesville / Riverside) scoring 15 points to round out the Raiders' double-digit scorers.
The Comets (13-9, 8-7 OAC) were led by Joe Thompson who scored a team high 17 points.
Mount Union jumped out to an early 12-4 lead with 14:19 remaining in the first half. But Capital would respond with a 14-2 run over the next 5:18 to take an 18-14 lead with nine minutes left in the half. A turn around jumper by Parker would then spark a 12-2 Raider run that saw Mount Union retake the lead 26-20 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. The Raiders and Comets would go on to trade baskets over the final 4:41 of the first half to give Mount Union a 33-26 lead heading into the break.
Capital opened the second half on a quick 6-0 run to cut Mount Union's lead down to one. The Raiders and Comets would go on to trade baskets over the next seven minutes before a pair of free throws from Keller sparked an 11-0 run over the next 2:18 to give Mount Union a 60-46 lead with 8:42 remaining in the game. Capital was able to cut the lead down to eight with just over a minute remaining, but a layup by Parker with 53 seconds left sealed the Raiders 9-point 73-64 victory.
The Raiders travel to New Concord next to take on Muskingum in an OAC matchup on Wednesday, February 16 at 7 p.m.
