Falcons Rally Late To Knock Off Storm.

The Notre Dame College Falcons (4-2) used a  rally in the game's last 6:33  to knock off Lake Erie College (3-2) 90-87 at Murphy Gym Monday night.  The win snapped a brief two game losing streak for NDC, and snapped a three game win streak for the Storm.
  NDC was paced by Tyree Gaiter who had 27 points on the evening. Gaiter added nine assists while knocking down three of four from the 3-point line.  Marco Colombo had a solid night with 20 points in the victory. It was Will Vorhees who had the monster game on this night though. Vorhees scored 19 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds in the win.  Kyauta Taylor also had a solid night. The East Tech product was a perfect four for four from the 3-point line en route to his 17 points.
 NDC shot the ball very well as they have for much of the season. They shot 50 percent from the field (29-58) and were a red hot seven of 11 (64 percent) from the 3-point line.  NDC shot 69 percent from the free throw line (25-36.)  The Falcons dominated the glass. They won the rebounding battle 47-35. They added 16 assists to go along with 12 turnovers.
  The Storm were led by Trey and Sean Howard- they had 21 and 16 points respectively- Michael Morris added 14- Collin Barth had 11- while Nick Wells scored 10.  LEC shot 46 percent (34-74) from the floor in the defeat.  They shot 37 percent (13-35) from the 3-point line.  The Storm were an abysmal 40 percent (6-15) from the free throw line.  They had 16 assists and turned the ball over just six times.
  The opening half was back and forth with neither team being able to shake the other.  The Storm's biggest lead was three, while the Falcons led by as many as six. Najee Johnson would knock down a pair of free throws to give NDC that six point advantage (38-32) at the 3:38 mark. The Storm would then go on a 7-1 run to knot the game at 39 with 1:49 in the opening half. After a Taylor 3-pointer would give them the lead- the Falcons would see that lead to trimmed to one (42-41) at the half.
  The Storm would come out hot in the second stanza and open up a seven point lead (54-47_ in the early going.  A Barth 3-pointer at the 10:08 mark would give the Storm a nine point lead at the 10:08 mark.  Three and a half minutes later Sean Howard would drill a 3-pointer and the lead would still be nine (77-68.)  A Colombo dunk would spark a 10-0 Falcons run that would give them the lead at 78-77 The back and forth affair would continue as Vorhees would hit a pair of free throws to tie it at 80 at the 2:36 mark.  The Falcons would score the next six points, Gaiter would hit four clutch free throws down the stretch and the Falcons would have a home win for the second time in three tries.
  NDC will be back in action Thursday night when they welcome West Virginia State to Muphy Gym. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
 

Gaiter's Monster Night Not Enough For NDC.

Despite 38 points from Tyree Gaiter the Notre Dame College Falcons fell short 88-84 to Wheeling Jesuit in the Falcons first road contest of the year. NDC fell to 3-2 on the year, While Wheeling Jesuit improved to 5-0.
  Four Cavaliers scored in double figures in the win.  Eric Seifert led the way with 20 points- Haywood Highsmith had a huge game scoring 17 points and grabbing 20 rebounds- Kyle Ritz also added 17- while Mentor High School product Justin Fritts scored 11. The Cavaliers shot 48 percent from the field and 32 percent from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 76 percent clip (19-25) from the free throw line. The Cavaliers won the rebounding battle 44-35.  They had 17 assists to go along with 16 turnovers.
  NDC was paced by Gaiter who drained nine 3-pointers en route to his 38 points. The Cleveland Heights product was also 11 of 12 at the free throw line.  Will Vorhees continued his solid start to the season with 21 points- while Kayauta Taylor put up 13.  The Falcons shot 40 percent from the field and 41 percent (13-32) from the 3-point line.  A day after the Falcons let one get away because of putrid foul shooting they shot 83 percent (19-23) at the foul line.  They had 13 assists and turned the ball over 14 times.
  NDC trailed by as many as 14 in the opening half.  The Falcons would start off the game cold and trail 18-4 at the second media timeout.  The Falcons would then nail four straight 3-pointers and be down by five (21-16) after a Gaiter 3-pointer at the 9:11 mark.  The Falcons would stay hot over the next five minutes and take the lead 28-27 after a Taylor 3-pointer with 4:17 to go in the opening half. The two teams would trade blows for the next 4:17 and would go into halftime deadlocked at 34.
The Cavaliers would land the first blow in the second half scoring the first six points.  Ja'sean Lewis would nail another Falcon 3-pointer to give them the lead again (47-46) at the 15:39 mark.  The Cavaliers would regain control in the next few minutes and take a five point lead (59-54) with (9:28 to go.  The Cavs would maintain the lead until another Gaiter surge would tie the game at 63 at the 6:42 mark. Vorhees would hit a pair of free throws and the Falcons would regain the lead.  The lead would be short lived though, as a 13-2 Wheeling run would put them back in command. Frits would split a pair of free throws and the Cavaliers lead would grow to 10 (79-69) with 2:24 to go. The Falcons would not go down without a fight though. They would get to within three (84-81) after Gaiter hit his seventh 3-pointer of the night with 20 seconds left.  The Falcons would get to as close as two but it would not be enough.
NDC will be back in action on 11/30th when they welcome Lake Erie College to Murphy Gym. Tip time is set for 7 PM. That will begin a four game home stand for NDC.

Falcons Let One Get Away Against #3 West Liberty Saturday.

The Notre Dame Falcons found out a lot about themselves on Saturday afternoon. They did not win the game but they hung with the third ranked team in the country and took them to overtime before falling 106-103 at Murphy Gym. The Hilltoppers stayed percent on the season, while NDC fell to 3-1 (0-1 MEC.)
  Five West Liberty players scored in double figures in the victory. They were paced by Seger Bonifant who had a game high 28 points- Devin Hoehn added 24- Brady Arnold scored 17- Mike Lamberti had 13- while Dave Dennis chipped in 10. The Hilltoppers shot 41 percent for the game and 37 percent from the 3-point line. They shot 82 percent (22-27) from the free throw line. They had 23 assists and just nine turnovers.
 NDC also placed five players in double figures. Kyauta Taylor led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds- Marco Colombo had 19- Will Vorhees and Tyree Gaiter netted 18 each- while Ja'sean Lewis scored 12.
 The Falcons shot the ball extremely well. They shot 51 percent from the field and 53 percent (16-30) from the 3-point line. What doomed the Falcons was going 11-27 (41 percent) at the free throw line.  NDC dominated the glass 56-44. They had 29 assists and 19 turnovers.
  The game started out with both teams shooting the ball well as they would all day. After a Colombo 3-pointer NDC would take a 10-8 lead into the first media timeout. The Falcons lead would grow to 10 (21-11) after a Vorhees 3-pointer at the 14:15 mark. The Falcons would then go another spurt, this time a 13-3 run to open up a 20 point lead (34-14) after a Taylor layup with 11:09 left in the half. The Hilltoppers would score the next eight points to cut the lead to 12 (34-22) at the 9:02 mark. After stretching the lead out to 17 the Falcons would lead by just six (54-48) at halftime.
  The Falcons would score the first four points of the second half before the Hilltoppers would counter with the next seven.  After a pair of Hoehn free throws West Liberty would take a 71-70 lead with 12:49 remaining. After NDC took a brief lead the Toppers would go up by six (80-74) after a pair of Arnold free throws at the 9:39 mark. The Hilltoppers looked to take command with a nine point lead (91-82) with 4:01 to go. The Falcons would run off the next nine points and tie the game at 91 on a Taylor basket with 1:14 to go. After a miss by West Liberty at the other end, the Falcons would get a jumper by Vorhees to take a 93-91 lead with 33 seconds left in regulation. After another missed 3-pointer by the Hilltoppers NDC had a chance to end it but Taylor missed the front end of a one and one. Three Gaiter fouled Dave Dennis with nine seconds in regulation and Dennis made both free throws. Taylor had a chance to win it for the Falcons at the buzzer but his 3-pointer did not fall.
  The teams would trade basket to begin the overtime frame, the NDC basket a Gaiter 3-pointer would give them a 96-95 lead. The Hilltoppers would score the next five points before another NDC 3-pointer, this one by Colombo would cut the lead to one (100-99) at the 3:41 mark of the extra session.
NDC would get the lead back on a Najeeb Johnson at the 2:08 mark (103-102.)  Dennis would split a pair of free throws with just under two minute left and the game would again be knotted, this time at 103. Both teams offenses would go silent until Mike Lamberti hit what proved to be the game winning layup with 29 seconds. After a Taylor turnover Bonifant would hit one of two free throws to leave the door open for NDC. With two seconds left and a 3-point lead West Liberty would foul Gaiter. He would miss both free throws, get his own rebound but his 3-pointer to extend the game was off the mark.
NDC will be back in action Monday night when they face Wheeling Jesuit. Tip time is set for 7:30 in Wheeling,West Virginia.

NDC Holds Off Ohio Dominican.

The Notre Dame Falcons held on for a 92-87 win over Ohio Dominican at Murphy Gym Wednesday. The win improves the Falcons to 3-0 on the season. ODU falls to 2-1.
  The Falcons were paced by Kyauta Taylor who led all scorers with 23 points.  Will Vorhees chipped in 17- while Marco Colombo netted 18- Tyree Gaiter recorded a double-double (16 points and 10 assists.)  The Falcons shot 52 percent as a team in the victory.  They shot a respectable 39 percent (7-18) from the 3-point line. The Falcons did not fare well at the foul line where they shot 56 percent (19-34.)  The Falcons had 21 assists and just nine turnovers.
  The Panthers were led by Ronnie Williams (21-) Trent Weaver (20-)  Shemar Waugh added 16- while Chad Nelson scored 15.  The Panthers shot 39 percent in the loss.  They could not find the range from the 3-point line where they shot 26 percent (8-31.)  ODU shot 72 percent (23-32) at the free throw line.  The Panthers edged NDC on the boards 44-42.  The Panthers had 15 assists, as compared to just seven turnovers.
  NDC got off to a quick start in the early going.  They would lead 10-3 after three minutes of action, this afer a Vorhees bucket.  The Falcons would stretch the lead to 10 (27-17) at the 8:06 mark of the opening half after a Jay Banyasz jumper.  The lead would remain in double digits for the next four minutes.  The Panthers would get to within four (38-34) after a pair of Weaver free throws with 1:22 left in the half.  Ultimately NDC would take a three point (42-39) halftime lead.
  The Falcons would score the first 11 points of the second stanza and take a 14 point lead (53-39) with 15:32 to go in the game.  The Panthers would run off a quick five points but NDC would not blink.  NDC would stretch the lead to 10 (60-50) at the 13:31 mark on a Taylor hoop.  The Panthers would score eight of the next 10 points to get within four (62-58) after a Williams 3-pointer.  The Falcons would then go on another run, this time a 11-3 spurt capped off by a Gaiter 3-pointer at the 9:38 mark.  The Falcons looked to be in command but poor foul shooting left the door open for the Panthers. ODU was within one on three different occasions, the last making the score 81-80 at the 4:23 mark. Once again the Falcons answered and looked to be in control leading by seven (90-83)  after Gaiter split a pair of free throws. The Panthers would not go away. They got to within three (90-87) with 1:03 left.  Chad Nelson of ODU would have a 3-point attempt to tie the game with 20 seconds but it was off the mark. Colombo rebounded and sealed the win for NDC.
 The Falcons will be back in action Saturday when they take on national powerhouse West Liberty. Tip time on Saturday is set for 4 PM at Murphy Gym.

Falcons Crush Mansfield Sunday.

The Notre Dame Falcons improved to 2-0 for the second consecutive season with a 107-78 victory over Mansfield University (0-2) in day two of the MEC/PSAC Crossover at West Liberty Sunday.
  The Falcons had six players score in double figures in the victory.  Tyree Gaiter scored 25 points to pace NDC.  Will Vorhees just missed a double-double (18 points and nine rebounds.)  Marco Colombo (15 points) scored in double figures for the second consecutive game.  Oliver Meggins had 11- while Najeeb Johnson and Kayuata Taylor scored 10 points apiece.  The Falcons shot a sizzling 59 percent in the contest.  They also shot the ball extremely well from the 3-point line where they shot 50 percent (12-24.)  The one place the Falcons struggled was the free throw line, where they shot 55 percent (11-20.)  NDC had 24 assists and only nine turnovers.  NDC won the rebounding battlle 39-37.
  Mansfield (0-2) had four players score in double figures.  Da"Quan Jones posted a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds) to lead the way.  Joe Marshall added 17- Eric Lewis scored 16- and- Matt Tamonosky put up 14 in the loss.  Mansfield shot 43 percent from the field in the contest. They were eight of 21 (38 percent) from the 3-point line.  They shot at a 71 percent clip (12-17) at the free throw line.  They had 17 assists and 13 turnovers.
  The game was tightly contested in the early going with the Mounties taking what would be there first and only lead at 9-8 just four minutes in.  The Falcons would hit five consecutive shots to take a nine point lead (23-14) at the 12:01 mark.  The Falcons would maintain the lead for the remainder of the half. The Mounties would get as close as three and NDC would take a slim 40-36 lead into the locker room.
 The second half would be all Falcons, as they would score 67 points.  The Falcons hit seven of their first nine shots in the second half to take a 57-43 lead after a Gaiter 3-pointer at the 15:40 mark.  The Falcons would cruise the rest of the way, leading by as many as 32 (107-75) with 44 seconds remaining.
 The Falcons will be back in action Wednesday when they take on Ohio Dominican in the home opener. Tip time is set for 7 PM.

Falcons Fly Past California (PA) In Opener.

The Notre Dame Falcons (1-0) got off to a solid start to the 2015-16 season with a 86-69 win over California (PA) in game one of the MEC/PSAC crossover hosted by West Liberty Saturday.
  The Falcons were paced by 26 points each from Will Vorhees and Tyree Gaiter.  Marco Colombo added 12 points and seven rebounds to round out the double digit scorers for NDC.
  UCP had four players score in double figures on the game.  Luka Andjusic led the way with 15 points- Khallil Jabbie had 12- Cordell Smith added 11- and- Richard Smith netted 10.  UCP dropped to 0-1 on the season.
  The Falcons were ready to go from the opening tip. They scored the game's first 11 points, seven of which were scored by Vorhees.  The Falcons would lead 21-11 with 9:15 to go in the opening stanza. The Falcons would maintain a double digit lead for the remainder of the half. The biggest NDC lead would be 17 (36-19) after a Gaiter 3-pointer at the 1:10 mark.
 The Vulcans (0-1) would get as close as nine (69-60) but that is as close as they would get. NDC would "ice the game" at the free throw line.
  NDC shot 46 percent on the day.  This included shooting 28 percent (7-25) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot at a 79 percent clip (11-14) at the free throw line.  NDC crushed the Vulcans on the boards 51-34.  They had 15 assists and 16 turnovers.
  The Vulcans shot 38 percent in the game.  They went seven of 21 (33 percent) from the 3-point line. UCP really struggled at the free throw line, shooting 47 percent (14-30.)  The Vulcans had 14 assists and 15 turnovers.
 NDC will be back in action Sunday for game two of the MEC/PSAC crossover when they take on Mansfield University. Tip time is set for 4 PM.