Falcons Fall Again On Road.

The Notre Dame Falcons have struggled on the road all season long and Wednesday was no  exception. The Falcons dropped a tough 74-73 contest to the Golden Eagles of Charleston.  NDC lost for the second straight game.
  Chris Evans paced Charleston (18-9 13-8 MEC) with 19 points- Vincent Dillard netted 12- while Aleksander Kesic posted 10.   The Golden Eagles shot 48 percent (29-60) as a team on the evening. They struggled from the 3-point line where they shot 33 percent (6-18.) They also struggled at the free throw line, shooting at a 59 percent clip (10-17.)  The Golden Eagles handled the Falcons on the boards 45-35.  They had 13 assists and 11 turnovers as a team.
  NDC was paced by a double-double from Lawrence DeArmond (23 points and 13 rebounds) Will Vorhees added 18- while Tyree Gaiter scored 17.  The Falcons shot 39 percent (26-66) from the field. The Falcons only shot 22 percent (5-23) from the 3-point line.  NDC shot at a 73 percent clip (16-22) at the free throw line.  The Falcons had eight assists and only committed five turnovers.
   NDC (14-13 10-11 MEC) got off to a good start and led 9-5 at the 16:17 mark after a Gaiter basket.  NDC stretched the lead to eight (20-12) at the 12:32 mark after a layup from Gaiter.  The Golden Eagles answered with the next nine points to regain the lead 21-20.  The rest of the half was played evenly and the game was knotted at 35 at the intermission.
  Charleston got off to a good start in the second half and opened up a 8 point lead (56-48) at the 11:50 mark.  NDC would erase that lead and tie the game at 64.  The Falcons would score the next five points capped by a Vorhees 3-pointer and NDC looked to be in control at the 3:29 mark.  Charleston would respond with a eight point run of their own to take a 72-69 lead at the 1:19 mark.  Gaiter would hit a pair of free throws to get NDC within one with under a minute to go.  Cameron Dozier would stretch the lead to three at the 25 second mark.  With five seconds left  after a DeArmond steal,NDC was within one on a pair of DeArmond free throws.  Chris Evans missed the from end of a one and one for the Golden Eagles to leave the door open for NDC. Gaiter got a good look but his 3-pointer would not fall.
  NDC will be back in action with the finale at Murphy Gym versus Urbana.  Tip time is set for 4 PM.  NDC seniors Connor Deckard, DeArmond, Rahpi Tekie and Ryan Lederman will be honored prior to the game on senior day.
  MEC standings:
West Liberty 19-2 (24-2)
Fairmount State 15-6 (18-9)
Concord 14-7 (19-8)
Wheeling Jesuit 13-7 (18-8)
Charleston 13-8 (18-9)
Glenville State 13-8 (17-10)
Notre Dame 10-11 (14-13)
Shepherd 9-12 (14-13)
West Virginia Wesleyan 9-12 (11-16)
West Virginia State 6-14 (6-22)
Urbana 3-18 (6-21)
UVA Wise 1-20 (2-24)

Yellow Jackets Sting Falcons.

The Notre Dame Falcons got off to a quick start but could not hang on in a 85-74 loss to the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State.  The win by the Yellow Jackets meant the two teams split the season series. The Falcons won at Murphy Gym in January.
  NDC (14-12 10-10 MEC) was led by Will Vorhees who had a double-double. He had a season high 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds- Lawrence DeArmond added 16 points and eight rebounds- while Tyree Gaiter scored 13 to go along with seven assists.  NDC struggled shooting the ball all night long. They shot 36 percent (27-76) from the field and just 19 percent (5-27) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot at a 68 percent clip (15-22) at the foul line.  NDC edged the Jackets on the boards 43-42.  They had 12 assists and 10 turnovers.
  West Virginia State (5-22 5-14 MEC) was led by Markee Mazyck who had 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds- Damion Harris scored 20.  The duo combined to go 17-24 from the field in the game.  Dominc Phillips added 16- while Dimitrios Jelen Joy netted 11.  The Yellow Jackets shot 50 percent (28-56) as a team.  They shot 46 percent (11-24) from the 3-point line.  The Jackets shot 75 percent (18-24) from the free throw line.  They had 20 assists and 17 turnovers.
  NDC got off to a quick start and led 10-2 after the game's first four minutes.  The Yellow Jackets quickly erased the deficit and tied the game at 15 at the 12:20 mark of the opening half.  The lead went back and forth a few times in the next seven minutes but the game would be knotted at 33 with 5:04 left until halftime.  The Yellow Jackets then went on a 9-0 spurt to take a 42-33 lead with 3:28 until halftime.  NDC would get to within three (44-41) after a bucket by Gaiter but the Yellow Jackets would take a 47-41 lead into the locker room.
  Five minutes into the second half the Yellow Jackets would open up a double digit lead.  The lead would remain that way until NDC would cut the lead to seven (70-63) at the 6:10 mark. The Falcons would go on a 7-0 run to knot the game at 70 after a DeArmond layup at the 3:51 mark.  Unfortunately the Falcons seemed to use up all energy they had to make the comeback and would go "ice cold" the rest of the way.  NDC would miss six of the last seven shots they took and the Yellow Jackets would gain the series split.  The two teams could very well meet again in the MEC tournament.
  NDC will be back in action Wednesday when they take on Charleston. The game is the last road contest of the campaign for NDC.   Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.

Falcons Schedule Shuffled A Bit.

The Notre Dame Falcons had a couple changes made to accommodate the team after a rough patch of weather this week. The NDC game that was originally scheduled for Thursday versus West Virginia State has been moved to Sunday. The men's game was moved to 6 PM or thirty minutes after the woman's 4 Pm tip.  Also NDC's game against the University of Charleston that was originally slated for Saturday at 4 PM has been moved to 7:30 PM on Wednesday evening or thirty minutes following the 5:30 Pm Woman's game.  The Falcons sit at 14-11 overall and 10-9 in the Mountain East Conference.  They have just one more game remaining after the two I just mentioned, the finale will be at home versus Urbana at Murphy Gym on Saturday the 28th.  Then the conference tournament will take place.  Here are the current Mountain East Conference Standings:
West Liberty 18-2 (23-2)
Fairmount State 14-6 (17-9)
Concord 13-7 (17-8)
Glenville State 13-7 (17-9)
Wheeling Jesuit 12-7 (17-8)
Charleston 12-8 (17-9)
Notre Dame College 10-9 (14-11)
West Virginia Wesleyan 9-11 (11-15)
Shepherd 8-11 (13-12)
West Virginia State 4-14 (4-22)
Urbana 3-17 (6-20)
Virginia Wise 1-18 (2-22)
The conference tournament will be played from March 5-8 at the Charleston Civic Center. If it were to start today NDC would be the the seventh seed and would face #10 West Virginia State in the opening round.

How Sweep It Is! NDC Hangs On To Complete Sweep Of Glenville State.

The Notre Dame Falcons (14-11 10-9 MEC) escaped with a 90-89 win over the Pioneers of Glenville State at the Waco Center after holding a 17 point lead midway thru the second half. Tyree Gaiter was clutch at the foul line down the stretch for the Falcons.
  The Falcons were paced by Will Vorhees with 23 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with just over two minutes left- Kyauta Taylor netted 18- Gaiter added 16 to go along with 12 assists, the senior from Cleveland Heights was 12-13 at the free throw line- Oliver Meggins scored 14- and- Lawrence DeArmond contributed 13 of his own.  NDC shot 49 percent (31-63) from the floor as a team.  They were also solid from the 3-point line where they shot 41 percent (13-32.)  NDC shot 60 percent (15-25) as a team from the free throw line.  They had 18 assists and 12 turnovers.  The Falcons won the rebounding battle 39-33.
  The Pioneers (17-8 (13-6 MEC) also had five players score in double figures on the day.  Brett Morris led the way with a double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds.)  Luke Campbell scored 18- Sedric Nady netted 15- Brien Winston chipped in 13- and- Reggie Williams scored 12 in the loss.  GSC shot 51 percent (31-61) from the field in the game.  They were a solid 46 percent (12-26) from the 3-point line.  The Pioneers shot 65 percent (15-23) from the free throw line.  They had 21 assists and 12 turnovers.
  NDC led by as many as 17 in the second half but would ultimately prevail as Gaiter made 10 consecutive free throws in the final minute.  NDC jumped out to a 9-2 lead to begin the game.  The Pioneers would take the lead 22-20 after a Luke Campbell 3-pointer at the 11:15 mark of the opening half.  The rest of the half was played very evenly as neither team led by more than four and the game would be knotted at 42 going into the locker room.
  NDC would score the first eight points of the second half and lead 50-42 in the early stages of the second stanza.  After a Vorhees bucket the Falcons lead would grow to 11 (57-46) at the 14:44 mark.  NDC would stretch the lead to 17 (69-52) after a Vorhees jumper at the 10:39 mark.  The Pioneers would then go on a 18-1 run and retake the lead with 4:20 to go after being down 16.  A Vorhees dunk would give the Falcons a 74-73 lead with 3:34 to go. The lad would not last long as Campbell would drain a 3-pointer to give the Pioneers a 76-74 lead with 2:37 remaining.  NDC would get the lead back at the 1:25 mark 80-79 on a 3-pointer by Oliver Meggins.  Gaiter would make a pair of free throws with less than a minute to make the lead three.  Gaiter would nail 10 free throws in the final minute but Najeeb Johnson would miss all four of his foul shots to leave the door open for the Pioneers.  After Johnson missed the front end of a one and one with six seconds left GSC would have a chance to steal a win but the 3-pointer was off the mark and the Falcons escaped.
 NDC will be back in action Thursday night when they take on West Virginia State. NDC won the first meeting 92-83 at Murphy Gym on January 10th.
 

Falcons Close on 24-4 run to post 93-71 win.

The Notre Dame Falcons used a 24-4 run in the game's final six minutes to turn a close game into a blowout win at Murphy Gym Thursday. The Falcons improved to 9-3 at home with the 93-71 win over West Virginia Wesleyan. With the win NDC improved to 13-11 overall and 9-9 in the MEC. With the loss Wesleyan fell to 10-14 overall and 8-10 in the MEC.
  The Falcons got a big night from Tyree Gaiter in the victory. Gaiter poured in 30 points, dished out six assists and also had five steals.  Najeeb Johnson tied his career high with 22- while Kyauta Taylor netted 10.  The Falcons shot 58 percent (35-60) from the floor. went 10-20 (50 percent) from the 3-point line- and- shot 68 percent (13-19) at the free throw line.  NDC won the rebounding battle 27-24.  They had 18 assists and 14 turnovers.
  The Bobcats were led by Tanner McGrew and his 22 points.  Chris Dewberry scored 19- and- Austin Shell netted 14 in the defeat.  The Bobcats shot 55 percent (21-38)- as well as 6-13 from the 3-point line.  Wesleyan shot 74 percent (23-31) at the free throw line.  They had 15 assists and 23 turnovers.
  At the outset it was the Bobcats who jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the early going.  The Falcons would fight back and after a Johnson buzzer beater would trail by just three (38-35) at halftime.
  The second half would be very closely played until the final six minutes. Four lead changes would happen before NDC would take the lead for good on a Johnson old fashioned 3-point play that would make it 54-52 at the 13:23 mark.  The game would be evenly played over the next seven minutes.  It would be 69-67 Falcons at the 6:13 mark before the Falcons would go on the 24-4 outburst to close out the game.  NDC would get a four point play by Gaiter to spark the spurt and would nail the last eight shots they took in the contest.
NDC will be back in action Saturday when they take on the Pioneers of Glenville State, tip time is set for 4 PM Saturday.

Fairmount State Wins Battle Of The Falcons.

The Notre Dame Falcons lost for just the third time in 11 tries on the season at home on Saturday. This one a 72-62 loss to Fairmount State at Murphy Gym. Fairmount State won a fifth straight on the road and ninth straight overall.  FSU improved to 17-6 overall and 14-3 in the MEC. With the loss NDC dropped to 12-11 overall and 8-9 in the MEC.
  The Falcons were paced by Tyree Gaiter with 22 points- while Oliver Meggins added 11. NDC shot 43 percent from the field as a team.  The trio of Will Vorhees, Lawrence DeArmond and Kayauta Taylor combined to go just 9-26 on the day.  NDC shot 30 percent (7-23) from the 3-point line- they continued to struggle at the foul line where they shot just 54 percent (7-13.)  The Falcons had 10 assists and 14 turnovers.
  FSU was led by a monster game from Nick Harney.  Harney scored 30 points and snatched 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes- Jamel Morris netted 18 points as he played all 40 minutes.   The Fighting Falcons shot 44 percent as a team- they shot at a 38 percent clip (6-16) from the 3-point line.  The Fighting Falcons were solid at the free throw line where they shot 82 percent (18-22) on the day. FSU won the rebounding battle 40-29.  They had 12 assists and 12 turnovers.
  The game was a back and forth affair until the final minutes that featured six ties and 13 lead changes.  Nine of the 12 lead changes occurred in the game's first 12 minutes.  After a Gaiter layup at the 7:57 mark NDC held a slight 22-21 edge.  The Fighting Falcons would then score 12 of the game's next 14 points.  So at just under six minutes in the half it would be a nine point (33-24) lead for FSU.  NDC would cut the deficit to three (37-34) going into halftime.
  The second half was much like the first.  The first 12 minutes were played rather evenly and the game would be knotted at 58 at just under seven minutes to go.  The next five minutes would see NDC go "ice cold" and the Fighting Falcons would run off the next eight points to lead 66-58 at the 2 minute mark.  Gaiter would hit a pair of free throws for NDC at the 1:04 mark but that is as close as they would get as FSU would ice it at the free throw line.
 NDC will be back at home Thursday night when they battle West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.

Vorhees Jumper Lifts NDC Past Shepherd.

The Notre Dame Falcons got a big 87-86 win at Murphy Gym on Thursday night, on the strength of a jumper by Will Vorhees with four seconds left.  The win was the second in a row for NDC. The loss for Shepherd was their third in four contests.  With the win NDC improved to 12-10 overall and 8-8 in the MEC. With the loss the Rams fell to 12-10 overall and 7-9 in the MEC.
    Kayauta Taylor paced the Falcons with 24 points on the night, as all five Falcon starters scored in double figures.  Lawrence DeArmond netted 19- Vorhees scored 17- Tyree Gaiter tallied 12 points and dished out seven assists- while Oliver Meggins nailed three 3-pointer's en route to his 11 points.  The Falcons shot 55 percent as a team (33-60.)  They were also a solid 43 percent (12-28) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons struggled at the foul line, where they shot 60 percent (9-15.)  They did a good job of taking care of the ball in this one. They had 18 assists and just nine turnovers in the contest.
  The Rams had four players score in double figures in the tough loss.  Steffen Davis led the way with 24 points- AJ Carr and Austin Cunningham added 17 each- while Morgan McDonald tallied a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds.)  The Rams shot the ball extremely well from the field, where they shot 53 percent (32-60) and from the 3-point line where they shot 52 percent (11-21.)  This included shooting at a 70 percent clip (7-10) from the 3-point line in the second half.  The Rams were a perfect 11-11 at the free throw line. They out rebounded NDC 32-27.  The Rams had 22 assists and 12 turnovers.
   This one was a see-saw affair from the outset.  The first half saw NDC start the game on a 11-4 run.  That lead did not last long as the Rams would counter with an 11-0 spurt of their own to take a 15-11 lead at the 11:58 mark of the opening half.  Five more lead changes would occur before halftime.  NDC would lead by as many as six (35-29) and would take a five point lead (37-32) into the locker room after a 3-pointer by DeArmond at the first half buzzer.
  The Falcons would use the momentum of the DeArmond buzzer beater and carry it into the second half. Taylor and DeArmond would drain back to back 3-pointers to give NDC a 10 point lead (50-40) with 16:31 left to go.
 The NDC lead would grow to 12 (61-49) after a Gaiter jumper at the 13:16 mark.  Then the Rams would get hot from the 3-point line, where they would shoot 70 percent (7-10) in the second stanza.  The Rams would come all the way back and take a 81-78 lead after a Cunningham 3-pointer with 1:51 remaining.  The two teams would continue to go back and forth until a AJ Carr 3-pointer would give the Rams a 86-85 lead with 16 seconds to play.  Vorhees would then hit what would be the game winner at the four second mark.  Gaiter would steal the inbounds pass to seal the eighth Falcons win in 10 tries at home this season.
NDC will be back in action Saturday when they take on Fairmount State. Tip time at Murphy Gym is set for 3 PM.

NDC Keeps Cavaliers Reeling With Rare Road Win.

The Notre Dame Falcons (11-10 7-8 MEC) won for just the second time on the road this season Monday night.  The Falcons sent Virginia Wise (1-19 0-15 MEC) to a 19th consecutive loss.  This one a 69-65 NDC win at the Prior Center in Wise,Va,
  NDC was paced by Tyree Gaiter and his 17 points- the Cleveland Heights High grad scored the game's final six points.  Will Vorhees continued his solid play since returning from an injured knee with 16 points- Lawrence DeArmond stuffed the stat sheet as he has all season.  Monday the Cincinnati native scored 16 points- grabbed eight rebounds- and- dished out six assists.  Oliver Meggins drilled four 3-pointer's off the bench en route to his 12 points.
  The Falcons shot 47 percent from the field- 35 percent (7-20) from the 3-point line- and shot 89 percent (8-9) at the free throw line.  NDC edged the Cavaliers on the boards 35-33.  The  Falcons had 15 assists and just nine turnovers.
  Virginia-Wise had a pair of players tally double figures.  Matt Day was just one rebound shy of a double-double (18 points and nine rebounds.)  Brian Snyder was the other Cavalier in double figures with 16.  They shot 38 percent as a team- 40 percent (14-35) from the 3-point line- The Cavaliers struggled at the foul line where they shot 56 percent (5-9.)  They had 19 assists and 10 turnovers.
  NDC started the game with a 14-0 run right out of the gate.  The Cavaliers would not score until 6:25 into the contest but then would go on a 13-4 run to get within five (18-13) at the 10:33 mark of the opening half.  After a Kayauta Taylor 3-point play NDC would have a seven point lead (27-20) but the Cavaliers would end the half on a 11-4 run to knot the game at 31 at the intermission.
  The first three minutes of the second half saw both teams get hot from the 3-point line. The Cavaliers would  bury the first four attempts from three but Meggins would knock down a pair for NDC and they would trail 43-42 at the 17:00 mark.  The Cavaliers would score the next four points and take a 45-42 lead.  The lead would not last long as the Falcons would respond with a 7-0 run of their own to go up 49-45 at the 13:34 mark.  The next eight minutes were played fairly evenly as NDC would maintain the lead, while the Cavaliers tied it a couple times.  Matt Day would nail a 3-pointer for the Cavaliers at the 4:24 mark to give UVA-Wise a 61-59 lead.  The Falcons would come right back again. After a DeArmond bucket NDC would have the lead back 63-62 with 2:13 on the clock.  Down the stretch NDC got a couple big baskets and a pair of free throws from Gaiter- while the Cavaliers went 1-4 at the line down the stretch.  Down two with time winding down the Cavaliers fouled Gaiter who calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to seal  NDC's second road win of the season.
 NDC will be back in action Thursday when they take on Shepherd at Murphy Gym. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.