BKC Final: WC men 76, Capital 73

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WILMINGTON — The Wilmington College men’s basketball team hit 10-of-20 three-pointers and held off a late rally to defeat Capital University 76-73 in Ohio Athletic Conference action Wednesday at Fred Raizk Arena.

Abdul Kanu scored 20 points to lead Wilmington while Bryce Bird added 15 points, Gavan Heimlich had 13 and Obed Achirem had 12. Andrew Clark missed double figures by a single point, but grabbed seven rebounds, asissted on two baskets and stole a pass.

“I love how our team started the game,” head coach Micah Mills said. “We had the communication and energy it takes to compete at this level. Our crowd was awesome tonight and it definitely helped us at the start and throughout the contest.”

Wilmington (6-14, 2-11 OAC) host the nationally-ranked Mount Union 2 p.m. Saturday at Fred Raizk Arena.

Both teams scored 15 points through the first eight-plus minutes, but the Quakers scored the next 10 over a four-minute span capped by two Kanu baskets to give the hosts a 25-15 edge. The Comets stemmed the bleeding with a dunk, but five WC free throws gave the Quakers what would be their largest lead of the game at 30-17.

Capital’s leading scorer, Carter Combs, caught fire over the final four minutes of the half with a trio of three-pointers. In total, the Comets outscored the Quakers 18-5 and went into intermission tied 35-35.

Two Heimlich three-pointers with an Achirem basket in between put the hosts ahead 43-37 and though Capital hung around, it couldn’t regain the lead. Two Kanu free throws with 1:48 to play put Wilmington up 72-66. Despite two turnovers by WC, Capital was unable to hit an equalizer in the waning seconds.

“One of my favorite aspects of this game was our resiliency our team showed after Capital closed the half on that run,” said Mills. “Coach (Alex) Trevino and Coach (Colin) Echelberry did a great job speaking on our defensive breakdowns, rebounding habits and the ways to clean them up. The guys locked in and made the adjustments in the second half.”

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