A 73 percent performance from the field in the second half helped the Capital Crusaders turn back the Denison men's basketball team 81-58 on Wednesday evening from Livingston Gymnasium in Granville.

Denison rattled off seven-straight points to erase an early 4-0 deficit in the opening stages of the first half.  Ahead 11-10, sophomore Dimonde Hale (Columbus, Ohio/Northland) found rookie Alex Longi (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) for an easy layup.  Off a Mike Garabedian (La Grange, Ill./Nazareth Academy) block on the ensuing possession, junior Brett Tiberi (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) drained one of his four threes off an assist from Hale to extend the Denison lead to six.  Capital cut the deficit to 16-12 on a lay-in by Kelly Winter at 13:48, however Tiberi hit another triple at the 10:47 mark to give DU their largest lead of the night at 19-12.

The Crusaders began to rally with just under eight minutes left in the opening frame as they engineered a 12-0 run to regain a 24-19 edge.  Spencer Niekamp recorded eight points during the run, including two-straight three-pointers.  A jumper by Jon Akpapunam (Bowie, Md./St. Mary's) and a pair of free throws by Longi trimmed the margin to one (24-23).  However, the visiting team answered with a Jared Cashen bucket and a three-point-play by Mitch Westerheide to extend their lead back to six points.  With 70 seconds on the clock, Hale knocked down a jumper in the paint to make it a 29-25 contest as the two squads entered the locker room.

Capital carried their momentum into the second half as they opened the period with a 14-3 run.  In addition to their half-opening run, the Crusaders also used their depth off the bench and a full-court press to wear down the Big Red.  At the end of the night, Capital shot 58 percent from the floor, including a 22-for-30 (73 percent) performance in the second period.

For the game, the Big Red shot 40 percent (19-of-48) from the floor.  The Crusaders outrebounded DU 32-22.  The visiting team also scored 46 points in the paint and received 26 tallies from their reserves.

Hale led DU with 18 points and four rebounds, while Tiberi's 14 points came off a perfect 5-for-5 performance, including a 4-for-4 outing from behind the arc.

Capital was led by Niekamp's 20 points and seven boards.  Scott Robertson also chipped in 12 tallies.

The Big Red falls to 5-12, while Capital improves to 12-4. Up next for the Big Red will be the Allegheny Gators on Saturday (Jan. 22) at 3 p.m.  A live video stream of Saturday's men's and women's basketball doubleheader against the Gators will be provided by the Denison Sports Network