Men’s Basketball grabs first OAC contest against Capital

The Muskingum men's basketball team grabbed their first Ohio Athletic Conference contest against Capital in the Anne C. Steele Center on Thursday night, 86-74.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (2-4 overall, 1-1 OAC), Capital (2-5 overall, 0-2 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio – Anne C. Steele Center

Inside the Numbers

• Four Muskies recorded double-digit scoring.
• Marcus Dempsey paced the Muskies offense with 25 points and two steals.
• Jarrell Marsh contributed 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
• Devon Peart registered a career-high 19 points, hitting 6-of-7 from the field, 6-of-8 from the free through line, and added four steals.
• Rashay Douglas notched a season-high 11 points.
• Jalen Paige chipped in five rebounds and three assists.
• Brandon Keyes snagged six rebounds.
• As a team, Muskingum went 26-for-57 (.456) from the field, 8-for-26 from the arc (.308), 26-for-34 at the free throw line (.765) and created a season-best 11 steals.
• Capital was led by Joey Weingartner who scored 26 points.
• Caleb Cox finished with a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds.
• Austin Schreck netted 15 points and seven rebounds.
• Capital made .481 of their shots (25-for-52), went 7-for-20 from the arc (.350), and ended the contest going 17-for-20 from the free-throw line (.850).

Game Highlights

During the first three minutes of the first half, Muskingum went on an 8-2 run and held the lead until the 14:29 marker when Capital's Austin Schreck made a layup to go ahead, 11-10. The Muskies retook the lead a minute and a half later off Dempsey's two made free throws, making it 12-11. For the next few minutes the two teams traded points. The Crusaders started rolling offensively as they collected an 8-0 run, to regain the lead, 24-17, with 6:39 on the clock, forcing the Muskies to call a timeout. Muskingum closed out the last three minutes of the first scoring 11 straight points to take the 36-33 advantage at intermission.   

Muskingum's offense was in a rhythm in the second half as they maintained the lead the whole frame, until Capital tied the contest with 3:06 left. The Crusaders notched a 7-2 run from the 4:49 marker to the 3:06 marker, making it, 68-68. Dempsey drilled a three-pointer 30 seconds later to put Muskingum back on top, 71-68. From that moment on, Muskingum's offense flowed and their defense held strong to end the contest scoring 15 points to Capital's three to clinch their first OAC game, 86-74.  

Up Next

• Muskingum will continue home play as they welcome Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, December 9. The game is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. and marks Muskingum's Hoops for Hunger. Fans will receive free admission with a canned food or non-perishable item donation. All donations will be donated to the New Concord Food Pantry.