COLUMBUS – The Capital University men's basketball team won its sixth straight game Saturday afternoon, showing strong energy on both sides of the floor in an 85-68 victory over John Carroll in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown at the Capital Center.

With the victory, the Crusaders (11-6 overall, 8-2 OAC) stand alone in first place in the conference, one game ahead of the Blue Streaks, and control their own destiny with eight games remaining on the regular season schedule.

Four players finished in double-figure scoring for Capital, which shot 50 percent from the floor and held John Carroll (12-4, 7-3), which entered the game as the league's top scoring offense, to just 33.3 percent shooting.

Junior Ben Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) paced the Crusaders with 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while classmate Michael Sommer (Celina, Ohio) recorded 15 points and seven rebounds.

After taking a 37-33 lead through one half, Capital began the second half on a 12-0 run, capped by a deep 3-pointer by Sommer, which sent the Capital Center's large, animated crowd into a frenzy and gave the Crusaders a 49-33 advantage just over four minutes into the period.

"We just made shots," Sommer said. "Coach told us they were going to make runs, and we were going to make runs. We knew we had to battle and win each five minutes (in each half), and whoever wins those is going to win the game. When shots were presented, we had guys step up and knock them down."

Another 3-pointer by Sommer just over 20 seconds later gave Capital its largest lead of the game to that point at 52-34 with 15:13 to play.

The Blue Streaks whittled their deficit down to 54-47 with 10:03 left after a 13-2 spurt. Jackson, who scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, scored on the ensuing possession and the Crusaders pushed their lead back to double digits on a 3-pointer by junior Damon Dillard (Columbus, Ohio) with 8:42 on the clock.

John Carroll would get as close as nine, but struggled to find its rhythm against a stingy, physical Capital defense.

"We just wanted to get them to play in the half court, because they're more effective in transition," Sommer said. "We knew if we limited our turnovers and their fast break chances, and forced them to play in the half court, we could be effective."

In the first half, the Crusaders fed off an enthusiastic crowd to take a 17-4 lead just under six minutes into the contest. The Blue Streaks responded by closing their deficit to 24-19 with 8:05 left, and the teams traded baskets before heading into the locker room.

Senior Kelly Winter (Dublin, Ohio) added 11 points and seven rebounds for Capital, which shot 23-of-29 (79.3 percent) from the free throw line compared to 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) for John Carroll.

With the second half of the conference slate left to play, the Crusaders have their sights set on an OAC regular season title, but know they have to be ready to play every game in one of the nation's top conferences.

"I think we just need to be mentally prepared every day," Sommer said. "If we can focus mentally for the rest of the year, I feel like that's going to help us more than anything."

Capital returns to the floor Wednesday at Wilmington. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Wilmington, Ohio.