COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Allegheny College women's basketball team was defeated 64-54 in a back-and-forth nonconference contest at Capital University Tuesday (Dec. 12).

In a game that featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes, the Crusaders (4-4) broke the final deadlock by ending the game on a 12-2 run over the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to pull away from the Gators (3-6) for the win. 
 
After the Crusaders scored the first points of the game on a pair of free-throws, the Gators went on a 6-0 run to take the lead midway through the first quarter. Over the next couple minutes, the Crusaders went on a 9-0 run to gain an 11-6 lead.  In the closing seconds of the half, Brooke Smith converted a pair of free-throws to cut the gap to 11-8 after one quarter of play.
 
After Capital scored the first points of the second quarter, Delaney Arbore and Madison Caufield combined for a 5-0 run to tie the game at 13.  After trading baskets, Julianna Skowron gave the Gators the lead back, 17-16, on a jumper.  The teams continued to go back-and-forth as the Crusaders gained a 20-19 lead with six minutes to play in the half.
 
Over the next five minutes, the Crusaders slowly built a five-point lead, 32-27.  However, the Gators made a push late in the half.  After Kaylah Pinkney brought the game within two, 33-31, with 44 seconds left, Arbore converted a traditional three-point play to put the Gators ahead 34-33 at the half. 
 
Arbore led the Gators in the opening half with 14 points, converting all six attempts from the free-throw line.  From the field, the Gators shot 42.9% (12-of-28) in the half. Caufield had a team-high six rebounds as the Gators outrebounded the Crusaders 24-14. 
 
The Crusaders started the third quarter on an 8-0 run, forcing a Gator timeout.  The lead grew to 43-34 before Smith broke up the Capital run with a pair of free-throws.  After a basket by the Crusaders, Arbore hit a pair of free-throws and a three pointer to bring the score to 45-41. Mari Casale followed up Arbore's five points with a jumper in the paint to cut the lead to two.  In the closing seconds of the quarter, Jazmen Moore found Caufield cutting through the paint as the Gators tied the game at 45 heading into the fourth.
 
Moore gave the Gators a 46-45 lead with a free-throw early in the fourth.  The teams traded the lead back-and-forth until the Crusaders gained a 57-52 lead with under five minutes to play.
 
Down the stretch, the Crusaders limited the Gators chances as they held on for the win.
 
Arbore finished the game with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, while going a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line.  Caufield finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.  Skowron, Pinkney and Zoe Soilis all had four points and four rebounds while Smith had four points and three boards.

The Gators shot 36 percent (18-of-50) from the field and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the free-throw line, while owning a slight edge in rebounds, 38-37. 

Capital was led on the scoresheet by Erin Risner, who came off the bench to score 15 points, while Elle Folan added 14 markers. 

Allegheny will now have a weeklong layoff during finals, and will return to action on Dec. 19, with a home non-conference tilt against Bethany College scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Wise Center.