NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Manchester University dropped a non-conference game to Capital University by a final score of 76-63 in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Monday December 16.

The Spartans and Crusaders traded leads in the opening half, with neither side gaining more than a five-point advantage.  Manchester held Capital to 33% shooting in the opening period, however, Capital held a narrow 29-26 lead at halftime.

The Crusaders opened the second half with a 10-2 run to grab a double-digit lead over Manchester. 

The Spartans cut Capital's advantage to six and trailed just 51-45 at the 9:19 mark of the second half.  The Crusaders answered with another 9-2 run to push their lead back into double-digits.

Manchester shot 40.4% (21-of-52) for the game and were held to 6-of-17 (35%) shooting from three-point territory.  The Crusader defense also force 18 Spartan turnovers.

Capital finished 29-of-69 for the game, good for a 42% clip.  Capital made eight threes.

The Spartans were led by Jalen Owens' (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute North) 20 points.  Owens connected on 7-of-10 field goal attempts and was 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.  Jalmen Sullivan (Hopkins Park, Ill./St. Anne) chipped in a season-high 15 points off the bench.  CJ Hampton (Hammond, Ind./Griffith) ended Monday's contest with 10 rebounds and three assists.

The Spartans slipped to 3-6 with the loss.  Capital won their sixth game of the season, improving to 6-4 with the win.  Manchester will have one more contest remaining this week before departing for the holiday break.  The Spartans will travel to Ohio Northern University on Saturday December 21 for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Polar Bears.