The BW men’s basketball team concluded their regular season with a 73-72 loss in overtime to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital University on Feb. 19.

The game opened with both teams trading points before freshman forward Ashton Price made a pivotal three-point shot with 10:16 remaining in the first half to give the Jackets a 15-13 lead. BW carried the momentum throughout the first half for a halftime lead of 32-26. 

At halftime, senior cheerleaders Emma Glass, Gwen McMonigle, Megan Smith, and Kylie Volak were recognized. Jenna Parsons, who passed away last spring, was also recognized and honored as a key part of the BW cheerleading program. 

Early in the second half, a three-year-old boy wandered onto the court and play had to be stopped by the officials. Otherwise, the Yellow Jackets maintained a small lead throughout the first ten minutes of the second half. 

With nine minutes remaining in regulation, Capital began closing in thanks to two three-point shots from forward Joe Thompson, who led Capital with 18 points in the game despite coming from the bench. Another three-pointer from guard Alex Eyink put Capital ahead 53-52 with 7:30 left in the second half. 

The game remained close for the last minutes of regulation. The Jackets defense held strong against a final scoring attempt by Capital, and the second half ended in a 64-64 tie. 

The five-minute overtime period began with a three-pointer from BW sophomore guard Drew Wennes. With 3:23 left in the period and the Jackets up by two points, senior guard Shane Zalba forced a turnover, but BW was unable to capitalize. 

Down by one, junior guard Jake Snyder made two free throws to give BW a 72-71 lead with 13 seconds remaining. 

On the ensuing possession, Capital’s Tyler Schreck drained two free throws of his own to return the lead to Capital with 0.3 seconds on the clock. The Comets held the Jackets off and claimed the 73-72 overtime victory. 

Snyder and Zalba each scored 17 points for BW, and junior forward Jackson Simmons led the team with nine rebounds. 

The game was decided beyond the three-point line, as Capital made 8 of 16 threes, and BW shot just 6-26. 

Despite the disappointing regular season finale, the Jackets began the OAC Tournament with an impressive 87-79 road win over Otterbein in the quarterfinals on Feb. 22. On Feb. 24, their season came to an end with an 82-70 loss to #2 Marietta in the semifinals.