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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A furious comeback from the Otterbein University men’s basketball team fell just short Saturday evening, falling 75-64 to crosstown rival Capital University in front of 2,516 Rike Center fans.

The Cardinals now stand at 7-16 this season and 4-12 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), while the win keeps Capital atop the league standings at 17-6 overall and 14-2 against OAC opponents.

Capital took a 23-point advantage into halftime, and led by as many as 26 after a layup with 15:57 remaining.

Otterbein, playing without leading scorer Max Van Meter, began to slowly chip away at the lead and cut the deficit to 13, at 64-51, after Marshall Crum split a pair of free throws at the 7:50 mark.

The Crusaders regrouped and converted a basket out of a timeout, but Otterbein brought the Rike Center to its feet with 3:56 to go after back-to-back buckets from Crum and Andy Yazrombek, cutting the deficit to 67-57.

Otterbein continued its climb, bringing the score to 70-64 with 56 seconds remaining after Jake Bischoff connected on two from the charity stripe.

The Cards had the ball down seven on the next possession, but a three-pointer from Tommy Waterwash rimmed in and out as the Crusaders ultimately escaped with the win.

Bischoff scored 14 to lead four Cardinals in double figures, while Crum shot 5 of 6 to score 11 in just 16 minutes off the bench. Yazrombek tallied 11 points while Waterwash finished with 10.

Capital, which held an 18-4 edge in points off turnovers, was led by a game-high 23 points from Michael Sommer, who buried 8 of 11 from the field over his 32 minutes of action.

Capital shot .542 from the field for the game compared to Otterbein's .460. The two sides combined to make 20 three-pointers.

Otterbein returns to action Wednesday evening, hosting John Carroll University at 7:30 p.m. Waterwash and fellow seniors Zach Bakenhaster, John Finnegan, Derek Dicke, and Kiley Gessner will be recognized as part of Senior Night.