Falcons Welcome Jackets Wednesday.

The Notre Dame College Falcons (14-6 8-6 MEC) welcome the lowly Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State (6-14 3-11 MEC) to Murphy Gym on Wednesday evening. Tip time is set for 730 PM and you can catch the game on NotreDameFalcons.com
 NDC is coming off a 84-76 road win at Glenville State on Saturday. Kyauta Taylor (29 points) and Will Vorhees (27) led the way for NDC in the victory- while Drew Scarberry chipped in 13. The Falcons used a good shooting night- 47 percent (10-21) from the 3-point line and 41 percent from the field to get the victory.  NDC was +8 on the boards, although they had two more turnovers (16) than assists (14.)
  Both Taylor and Vorhees average double figures on the season. Vorhees leads the way at 27.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per night- while Taylor adds 21.8 a night.  Kobie Johnson averages 9.3 points per night- but has missed four of the past five games due to injury- Drew Scarberry has come on of late and  is now averaging 8.6 points a contest.  Scarberry shoots 46.6 percent from the 3-point line- Ja'Sean Lewis leads the team in assists at 5.3 per night. NDC averages 84.5 points per game- while they give up 82.7 a night.
  The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 111-75 drubbing by #3 West Liberty on Saturday.  Ernest Jenkins (20 points- Cody Morris (12-) and- Jae'Von McClain (10) led West Virginia State in the loss. They shot 44 percent as a team and 59 percent (13-22) from the 3-point line in the loss. The Yellow Jackets had 31 turnovers that cost them 40 points Saturday.
   The Yellow Jackets have three players averaging double figures on the season.  Jenkins leads the way at 16.9 per game- Jayson Hankins averages 12.6 a night- and- Brent Bauer scores 12 a contest.  DeQuan Doyle averages 6.7 rebounds a game to lead the way- while Bauer leads the team with 74 assists on the season.  The Yellow Jackets average 78.4 a game- while they allow 87.4 a contest.
  In the season's first meeting NDC edged the Yellow Jackets 81-79 on December 1st.
Other MEC Games Wednesday:
Wheeling Jesuit @Fairmont State
Concord @Glenville State
Virginia Wise @West Virginia Wesleyan
West Liberty @Shepherd
Urbana @Charleston
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 14-0 (20-0)
West Liberty 13-1 (19-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-3 (17-3)
Shepherd 10-4 (13-7)
Notre Dame College 8-6 (14-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 7-7 (10-10)
Charleston 5-9 (11-9)
Glenville State 5-9 (8-10)
Urbana 4-10 (9-11)
West Virginia State 3-11 (6-14)
Virginia Wise 3-11 (5-15)
Concord 1-13 (5-15)

NDC Holds Off Pioneers.

The Notre Dame Falcons were in desperate need of a win Saturday after losing four of the last five. They did just that with an 84-76 victory over Glenville State at the Waco Center. With the win NDC improves to 14-6 overall and 8-6 in the MEC. With the loss the Pioneers fall to 8-10 and 5-9 in the MEC.
  The Falcons who played just seven players on Saturday were led by 29 points from Kyauta Taylor- Will Vorhees added 27- Drew Scarberry had 13- and- Ja'Sean Lewis added eight points- 14 rebounds- and- six assists.  The Falcons shot 41 percent from the field in the victory- they were 10-21 (48 percent) from the 3-point line- at the free throw line the Falcons went 28-36 (78 percent.)  They won the rebounding battle 46-38- and- had 14 assists to go along with 16 turnovers.
  The Pioneers were paced by 24 points from Brett Morris- Darhius Nunn added 12 and dished out eight assists- while Terry Davis Jr. scored nine. The Pioneers shot 39 percent as a team- 32 percent from the 3-point line (11-34) and 60 percent (9-15) from the free throw line.  They had 13 assists and 10 turnovers as a team.
   The game began with Glenville State taking the early lead. The game was tied at nine five and a half minutes in.  It would be tied again at 11 before the Falcons would go on a 11-0 run to take a 22-11 lead at the halfway mark of the opening half.  The lead was stretched to 14 (35-21) on a Taylor 3-pointer at the 5:01 mark of the opening half.  The Falcons led by 13 (46-33) as Scarberry would hit a 3-pointer right before halftime.
  The Pioneers would come out strong in the second half and go on a 10-2 run to cut the NDC lead to five (48-43) with 14:38 to go. The Pioneers would trim the lead all the way down to two (53-51) after a Davis Jr.basket at the 11:42 mark.  The Pioneers would get to within two one last time (64-62) at the 7:08 mark but that is as close as the Pioneers would get. Taylor and Vorhees would come up big down the stretch as always. Then Scarberry and Lewis would make four free throws in the final minute to put it away.
Kyauta  Taylor had this to say about today's NDC win and in particular the free throw disparity in this one and what got him going on the offensive end after two tough games in a row by his standards:
" I think we did a pretty good job offensively. What got me going offensively was I came in saying to myself stay aggressive no matter what and we did a solid job on the boards tonight as well."
"I think we just stayed the course and stayed with our game plan and we stayed aggressive and was able to get to the line a lot." Taylor said.
On how the Falcons overcame playing with a short bench today:
" Kobie is out with a leg injury and we overcome playing with a short bench by just believing in one another and trusting the coach and his decisions."
Vorhees added his thoughts on the win:
"Overall it was a nice team win. We can't let other team's pressure rush our decision making and that is part of why we had some turnovers tonight. We overcame the short bench because the guys who were in there were ready and did their part."
NDC will return home Wednesday to face West Virginia State at 730 at Murphy Gym. You can stream the game live on NotreDameFalcons.com

Other MEC Scores:
West Virginia Wesleyan 91 Urbana 70
West Liberty 111 West Virginia State 75
Charleston 85 Wheeling Jesuit 77
Fairmont State 116 Virginia Wise 77
Shepherd 86 Concord 69
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 14-0 (20-0)
West Liberty 13-1 (19-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-3 (17-3)
Shepherd 10-4 (13-7)
Notre Dame College 8-6 (14-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 7-7 (10-10)
Charleston 5-9 (11-9)
Glenville State 5-9 (8-10)
Urbana 4-10 (9-11)
West Virginia State 3-11 (6-14)
Virginia Wise 3-11 (5-15)
Concord 1-13 (5-15)

Falcons To Face Pioneers Saturday.

The Notre Dame College Falcons will look to right the ship Saturday when they travel to Glenville State to face the Pioneers. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
  The Falcons (13-6 7-6 MEC)  have lost four of the past five. The last time out was not a good one, as the Falcons suffered what would be their worst loss of the season 99-72 at West Virginia Wesleyan. The Falcons were led by 22 points- eight rebounds- and- six assists from Will Vorhees in the defeat- Drew Scarberry hit five 3-pointer's for the second straight game on his way to 19 points- and- Kyauta Taylor added 14.
  A pair of Falcons average double figures on the season. Vorhees leads the team averaging 27.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per night- while Kyauta Taylor averages 21.4 himself- Kobie Johnson is back from a concussion and adds 9.3 a night- to go along with 3.7 assists per contest. Ja'Sean Lewis leads the team in assists at 5.3 per contest.  The Falcons come into Saturday averaging 84.5 a game- while they give up 83.1 per night.
  The Pioneers (8-9 5-8 MEC) have lost three straight. The last time out was a 96-85 loss to Urbana on Thursday night.
 The Pioneers had three players score in double figures in the defeat. Brett Morris led the way with 25- Jon Dunmyer added 23- while Terry Davis Jr. netted 10. They shot 53 percent in the losing effort. From the 3-point line they shot 31 percent (4-13-) at the free throw line they shot 64 percent (21-33.) The Pioneers had eight assists and 14 turnovers in the loss.
 Four Glenville State College players average double figures on the season. Morris leads the season box score at 19.3 points per game- Davis Jr. puts up 16.1 a night- Dunmyer scores 15.6 a contest- while Jalon Plummer adds 11.5 a game.  The Pioneers score 88.3 a game- while they give up 89.8 a contest- rebounding has been an issue for GSC as they are being out rebounded by 6.7 boards a game (32.8 to 39.5.)
 In the first meeting back on January 3rd the Falcons knocked off the Pioneers 97-93.
Other MEC games Saturday:
Wheeling Jesuit @Charleston
Urbana@West Virginia Wesleyan
West Virginia State @West Liberty
Concord @Shepherd
Virginia Wise@Fairmont State
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 13-0 (19-0)
West Liberty 12-1 (18-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-2 (17-2)
Shepherd 9-4 (12-7)
Notre Dame College 7-6 (13-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 6-7 (9-10)
Glenville State 5-8 (8-9)
Charleston 4-9 (10-9)
Urbana 4-9 (9-10)
West Virginia State 3-10 (6-13)
Virginia Wise 3-10 (5-14)
Concord 1-12 (5-14)

Falcon Flattening.

What a difference five games can make in college basketball. Five games ago the Notre Dame Falcons were riding a nine game win streak and cruising thru the MEC. The last five have not been so kind to NDC. That trend continued on Thursday night when they suffered their worst defeat of the season. It was a 99-72 loss to a West Virginia Wesleyan team that the Falcons beat by 14 just three weeks ago.
  With the loss NDC falls to 13-6 and 7-6 in the MEC. The Falcons have now lost four of the last five.  Three NDC players scored in double figures in the defeat. Will Vorhees led the way with 22 points- eight rebounds and six assists- Drew Scarberry knocked down five 3-pointer's for the second consecutive game on the way to his 19 point night- while Kyauta Taylor added 14.  The Falcons did not shot the ball well tonight. They shot just 39 percent from the floor- and- 35 percent from the 3-point line in the defeat.
  Wesleyan (9-10 6-7 MEC) was paced by 25 points and eight rebounds from Mo Berchie- while Luke Layhew posted a double-double (17 points) and 10 rebounds.  Kevin Kangni (24) and Clay Todd (11) also made contributions off the Bobcats bench.  The Bobcats shot a blistering 60 percent from the floor- and- were a red hot 57 percent 15-28) from the 3-point line.
  The game went back and forth in the first four minutes with three lead changes and a pair of ties.  Wesleyan would take a slight lead before Oliver Meggins would cut it to four (20-16) with a layup at the 11:20 mark of the opening half.  The Bobcats would then go on a 11-2 run to take a 14 point lead (31-17) several minutes later. That lead would stay in double figures, as the Bobcats would lead by 12 (42-30) at the intermission.
  The Falcons would cut the lead to 11(47-36) early in the second half on a Kobie Johnson 3-pointer t the 18:13 mark. Johnson returned and played 14 minutes after missing a few games with a concussion.
 The Bobcats would stretch the lead to 15 (55-40) and cruise the rest of the way.  One time the Falcons would get to within 11 after a Taylor layup at the 11:09 mark, but that is the closest the Falcons would get.
 NDC will be back in action Saturday when they travel to Glenville State. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
West Liberty 87 Charleston 63
Shepherd 81 Virginia Wise 66
Urbana 96 Glenville State 85
Fairmont State 103 Concord 76
Wheeling Jesuit 104 West Virginia State 70
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 13-0 (19-0)
West Liberty 12-1 (18-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-2 (17-2)
Shepherd 9-4 (12-7)
Notre Dame College 7-6 (13-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 6-7 (9-10)
Grenville State 5-8 (8-9)
Charleston 4-9 (10-9)
Urbana 4-9 (9-10)
West Virginia State 3-10 (6-13)
Virginia Wise 3-10 (5-14)
Concord 1-12 (5-14)

Falcons Look To Get Back On Winning Track At Wesleyan.

The Notre Dame Falcons look to get back on the winning track when they head to Buckhanon,West Virginia to take on the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday. Tip time for the game is set for 7:30 The Falcons were a 79-65 winner in the first meeting between the two schools.
  The Falcons (13-5 7-5 MEC) have lost three of four. The last time out they were drubbed 93-76 by West Liberty at Murphy Gym. The Falcons have lost three straight at "The Murph."  Kyauta Taylor (34 points) and Will Vorhees (30 points) scored 64 of the Falcons 79 points in the win over Wesleyan back on January 5th.
  Vorhees paces the Falcons on the season averaging a double-double (28 points and 11.1 rebounds per night-) while Taylor averages 21.8 points per contest.  Ja'Sean Lewis leads the team in assists at 5.3 per night.
  NDC comes into the game averaging 85.2 points a game on the offensive end.  At the defensive end they are giving up 82.2 points per contest.  The Falcons have out rebounded their opponents by more than four rebounds a contest (41.9 to 37.6.)  They average nearly three more assists than the opponent (19.8 assists to 17.1 assists per game.)  The Falcons have trouble taking care of the ball though, as they average 13.7 turnovers per game as opposed to 10.3 for the opponent.  The Falcons average 5.4 blocks a game as a team- as compared to 1.4 for the opponent.
  Wesleyan (8-10 5-6 MEC) is coming off a 118-85 loss to Fairmont State last time out.  The Bobcats had won three in a row prior to the loss to Fairmont State.  Five Bobcats scored in double figures in that game.  The Bobcats were led by Kevin Kangni with 18 points- Mo Berchie added 17- Clay Todd netted 13- and- Luke Layhew and Jalen Melvin scored 10 points each. The Bobcats allowed Fairmont State to shoot 62 percent from the floor- and- 58 percent from the 3-point line in the game.
  Three players scored in double figures in the loss to NDC back on January 5th.  Berchie led the way with 16 points- Kangni had 14- and- Fred Brondstedt chipped in 13.
  On the season five Wesleyan players average in double figures.  Berchie leads the way at 15.7 per game- Kangni scores 13.4 a night- Luke Layhew scores 11.1 a contest- while Fred Brondstedt (10.5) and Quin Nottingham (10.0 per night) round out the double digit scorers.  The Bobcats average 72.2 points per game for the season- but that number has risen to 74.8 in conference play.
Other MEC Games Thursday:
Urbana@Glenville State
Concord@Fairmont State
West Liberty@Charleston
Virginia Wise@Shepherd
West Virginia State@Wheeling Jesuit
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 12-0 (18-0)
West Liberty 11-1 (17-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-2 (16-2)
Shepherd 8-4 (11-7)
Notre Dame College 7-5 (13-5)
Glenville State 5-7 (8-8)
West Virginia Wesleyan 5-7 (8-10)
Charleston 4-8 (10-8)
Urbana 3-9 (8-10)
West Virginia State 3-9 (6-12)
Virginia Wise  3-9 (5-13)
Concord 1-11 (5-13)

#4 West Liberty Cruises Past Short-Handed Falcons.

When you are playing the #4 team in the country just about everything has to go right to get in the win column. For the Notre Dame College Falcons a tough start contributed to a deficit that was to much to overcome. NDC ultimately fell 93-76 to the Hilltoppers at Murphy Gym on Saturday. With the win the Hilltoppers have now rattled off 10 straight victories and improve to 17-1 on the season and 11-1 in the MEC. With the loss NDC falls to 13-5 and 7-5 in the MEC.
   A balanced attack by West Liberty saw them place six players in double figures for the game.  David Dennis led the way with 17 points- seven rebounds and four assists- Dan Monteroso scored 15- Devin Hoehn tallied 12- Brady Arnold was a perfect four for four from the field including three 3-pointer's en route to his 11 points- while Clay Guillozet and James Griffin scored 10 points each.
  The Hilltoppers shot 50 percent as a team- went 14-34 (41 percent) from the 3-point line- but struggled at the free throw line where they shot 58 percent (7-12.)  They had 23 assists and seven turnovers in the contest.
  NDC played without starting point guard Kobie Johnson who missed his third straight game with a concussion. Also Nathan Kellum (broken hand) is out as well.  Five NDC players scored in double figures in the loss. Will Vorhees led the way with 19 points- nine rebounds and six assists- Drew Scarberry drilled five 3-pointer's en route to his 15 points- while Jay Banyasz- Oliver Meggins and Kyauta Taylor each scored 10.  NDC shot 41 percent as a team in the game- they were 9-25 (36 percent) from the 3-point line-and- 69 percent (9-13) from the free throw line.  NDC won the rebounding battle 44-37. They had 19 assists and 14 turnovers.
   For the second straight Saturday NDC dug themselves a hole against a top five opponent.  NDC fell in a 15-5 hole in the first 2:17 of the game.  At the 12:40 mark after a Montereso basket the Hilltoppers would hold a 20 point lead (29-9.)  NDC would get to within 15 (34-19) after a Meggins layup but West Liberty would respond with a pair of 3-pointer's by Arnold.  NDC would see Arnold hit his third 3-pointer of the half right before halftime and would trail by 23 (52-29) at the intermission.
  West Liberty would take a 27 point lead on three different occassions before NDC would go on a 12-0 run. Scarberry would score all 12 points in the span on four straight 3-pointer's.  NDC would trail by 15 at the 9:35 mark but the Hilltoppers would respond with seven straight points that would all but seal this one.  NDC would get to within 12 with 1:33 to go but it would be too little too late.
 Scarberry and Taylor would each score all of their points in the second half. Banyasz would add a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds-) while the Falcons shot the 3-pointer much better in the second half (8-16) than in the first (1-9.)
  NDC will be back in action Thursday when they travel to West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time is set for 730 PM. The Falcons defeated Wesleyan 79-65 in the first meeting.
  Other MEC Scores:
Wheeling Jesuit 89 Urbana 63
West Virginia State 90 Concord 88
Fairmont State 118 West Virginia Wesleyan 85
Shepherd 84 Glenville State 79
Virginia Wise 82 Charleston 68
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 12-0 (18-0)
West Liberty 11-1 (17-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-2 (16-2)
Shepherd 8-4 (11-7)
Notre Dame College 7-5 (13-5)
Glenville State 5-7 (8-8)
West Virginia Wesleyan 5-7 (8-10)
Charleston 4-8 (10-8)
Urbana 3-9 (8-10)
West Virginia State 3-9 (6-12)
Virginia Wise 3-9 (5-13)
Concord 1-11 (5-13)

NDC Welcomes #4 West Liberty For Key MEC Clash.

The Notre Dame Falcons (13-4 7-4 MEC) will host the fourth ranked West Liberty Hilltoppers (16-1 10-1 MEC) in a key Mountain East Conference clash at Murphy Gym. It will be the second straight Saturday NDC has faced a top five opponent at Murphy Gym.  Tip time time is set for 4 PM.
   NDC comes into the game off a 96-75 win at Urbana on Thursday night that snapped a brief two game losing slide.  The Falcons Will Vorhees scored more than 40 points for the third time in the month of January (42 and nine rebounds) on Thursday. He has had to pick up some of the offensive slack for the injured Kobie Johnson (concussion.)  Johnson is a game time decision for Saturday's contest.  Kyauta Taylor also scored in double figures with 23 points versus Urbana- while Ja'Sean Lewis added 12 points and 14 rebounds.
  The Falcons come into Saturday's game 5-3 at home on the year. They have lost the last two at Murphy Gym.  NDC averages 85.8 points per game- while they give up 81.5 a night.  The Falcons have been efficient from both the field (48 percent on the season) and the 3-point line (36 percent) on the season.  They have out rebounded their opponents by more than four rebounds a game. They have also averaged more than three assists more than the opponents.  NDC has also blocked 93 shot as a team this season- as opposed to 24 for the opponents.
  Will Vorhees and Kyauta Taylor have done the bulk of the scoring on the season.  Vorhees comes into Saturday averaging 28.5 points a game to go along with 11.2 rebounds a contest- Taylor puts up 22.5 a night- and- Ja'Sean Lewis is second on the team also averaging double figure rebounds at 10.5 a game. Lewis also leads the team in assists (5.5 per night.)
  The Hilltoppers are coming off a 96-90 double overtime win over Wheeling Jesuit last time out.  Five Hilltoppers scored in double figures in the win.  Dan Monteroso and David Dennis each scored 17- Devin Hoehn netted 15- while James Griffin and Zac Grossenbacher each tallied 14.  They shot 41 percent from the field in the win- while they shot 33 percent (10-30) from the 3-point line.  They were out rebounded by Wheeling 53-41- while they shot 74 percent (20-27) from the free throw line. The Hilltoppers have won nine straight since the lone loss they suffered on the season to Fairmont State on December 4th.
  Four players average in double figures on the season.  They are paced by Monteroso (17.9 points a game- Hoehn 16 a night- Dennis 13.1 per game and Grossenbacher (11.6 a game.)  Grossenbacher leads them in rebounding at nine per contest- while Dennis averages 6.2 assists per game.
  Other MEC Games Saturday:
Urbana@Wheeling Jesuit
Concord@West Virginia State
West Virginia Wesleyan@Fairmont State
Shepherd@Glenville State
Charleston@Virginia Wise
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 11-0 (17-0)
West Liberty 10-1 (16-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 9-2 (15-2)
Notre Dame College 7-4 (13-4)
Shepherd 7-4 (10-7)
Glenville State 5-6 (8-7)
West Virginia Wesleyan 5-6 (8-9)
Charleston 4-7 (10-7)
Urbana 3-8 (8-9)
West Virginia State 2-9 (5-12)
Virginia Wise 2-9 (4-13)
Concord 1-10 (5-12)



 

Blue Knight Beatdown.

The Notre Dame Falcons used a huge second half to propel them to a 96-75 road win at Urbana's Grimes Center.  The win improved NDC to 13-4 overall and 7-4 in the MEC. With the loss Urbana fell to 8-9 overall and 3-8 in the league.
  NDC was led by Will Vorhees who exploded again, this time for a game high 42 points. It was the third time this month Vorhees has broken the 40 point mark and he is averaging 32 points a game in the month of January.  Kyauta Taylor scored 23 points- while Ja'Sean Lewis scored 12 points- grabbed 14 rebounds- dished out four assists and blocked a shot.  For the second straight game NDC played without starting point guard Kobie Johnson (concussion.)  NDC shot 57 percent as a team from the field- they did not shoot well from the 3-point line (5 of 20 for 25 percent.)  NDC shot 77 percent (17-22) from the free throw line.  They crushed Urbana on the boards 50-30.  The Falcons had 19 assists and 14 turnovers.
  Urbana had four players score double figures in a losing effort.  Carlos Jackson paced the Blue Knights with 15 points- AJ Washington scored 13- Charles Sweatt- Washington added 12- and- Jameer Howze tallied 11.
  The Blue Knights struggled from both the floor (34 percent) and the 3-point line (6-34) for 18 percent.  They shot 75 percent (15-20) from the free throw line.  The Blue Knights had 13 assists and just five turnovers.
  The first five minutes of the contest was played evenly with neither team holding more than a two point advantage.  The Falcons would stretch the lead to five (18-13) at the 13:06 mark of the half after a Drew Scarberry 3-pointer.  The Blue Knights would rattle off the next 10 points and go ahead 23-18.  A conventional 3-point play by Lewis would give the Falcons the lead 27-25 a few minutes later.  NDC would lead by as many as seven before taking a four point (47-43) halftime lead.
  After the Blue Knights scored first in the second half NDC would go on a 13-0 run to take a 14 point lead (60-46) after a Vorhees free throw with 14:45 to go.  After a Free throw by Urbana, NDC would go on another 12-0 spurt and open up a 25 point lead (72-47) with 9:58 to go.  NDC would lead by as many as 27 (88-61) and cruise to the victory.
  The Falcons will be back in action Saturday when they welcome #4 West Liberty to Murphy Gym. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
West Virginia Wesleyan 97 Glenville State 87
Virginia Wise 98 Concord 70
Fairmont State 86 Shepherd 81
West Liberty 96 Wheeling Jesuit 90
Charleston 76 West Virginia State 70
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 11-0 (17-0)
West Liberty 10-1 (16-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 9-2 (15-2)
Notre Dame College 7-4 (13-4)
Shepherd 7-4 (10-7)
Glenville State 5-6 (8-7)
West Virginia Wesleyan 5-6 (8-9)
Charleston 4-7 (10-7)
Urbana 3-8 (8-9)
West Virginia State 2-9 (5-12)
Virginia Wise 2-9 (4-13)
Concord 1-10 (5-12)

NDC Looks To Get Back On Track At Urbana Thursday.

The Notre Dame Falcons (12-4  6-4) will look to snap a brief two game losing slide when they travel to the Grimes Center on the campus of Urbana to take on the Blue Knights (8-8 3-7 MEC.)  The game will tip at 730 on Thursday night.
  NDC is coming off a tough 78-77 loss to Shepherd at Murphy Gym on Monday afternoon. The Falcons got a 3-pointer from Oliver Meggins with 17 seconds to go to give them the lead- only to have Steffen Davis win it with a tip in with .4 seconds to go last time out. Will Vorhees led the Falcons with 44 points in the loss- while Kyauta Taylor added 23 of his own.
  The Falcons come into Thursday averaging 85.1 points a game- while they allow 81.9 on the defensive end.  Will Vorhees leads the Falcons in scoring at 27.7 points a game- the junior from Columbus Grove also grabs 11.4 rebounds a contest. Kyauta Taylor scores 22.4 points a night- while Kobie Johnson scores 9.7 points a contest. Johnson did not play against Shepherd (concussion) and his status for Thursday's contest is unknown.  Ja'Sean Lewis leads the Falcons in assists (5.6 a night) and is second on the team in rebounding (10.3 per contest.)
  Urbana comes in losers of the last two as well. Both teams lost to Shepherd and Fairmont State in the last two contests.  The last time out the Blue Knights took a 104-75 drubbing against Fairmont State.  The Blue Knights had four players score in double figures in the loss.  Jahmere Howze led the way with 18 points- Dequan Abrom added 17- while Dalton Payton netted 12- and- Carlas Jackson scored 10.
  The Blue Knights come into Thursday averaging 84.3 points per game- while they allow 85.2 on the defensive end.  Four Urbana players average in double figures on the season.  Howze paces the Blue Knights at 17.8 points a night- Abrom chips in 14.7- Carlas Jackson scores 14.2- and- Charles Sweat- Washington puts up 10.5 a night.  Howze leads the Blue Knights in rebounds at 6.9 a game- while Jackson leads the team with 40 assists on the year.
Other MEC Games Thursday:
Glenville State@West Virginia Wesleyan
Fairmont State @Shepherd
Virginia Wise @Concord
West Virginia State @Charleston
Wheeling Jesuit @West Liberty
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 10 (16-0)
West Liberty 9-1 (15-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 9-1 (15-1)
Shepherd 7-3 (10-6)
Notre Dame College 6-4 (12-4)
Glenville State 5-5 (8-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 4-6 (7-9)
Charleston 3-7 (9-7)
Urbana 3-7 (8-8)
West Virginia State 2-8 (5-11)
Concord 1-9 (5-11)
Virginia Wise 1-9 (3-13)


 

Bitter Pill To Swallow. Rams Nip Falcons Late.

The Notre Dame Falcons came back from down late with 30 seconds to go on Monday afternoon and took a one point lead on Shepherd with 17 seconds to go on a Oliver Meggins 3-pointer but could not hold the lead as the Rams would win it on a Steffan Davis tip in with .4 seconds to go. The 78-77 victory improved Shepherd to 10-6 overall and moved them ahead of NDC in the conference standings at 7-3. With the loss the Falcons dropped a second straight and fell to 12-4 overall and 6-4 in the MEC.
  Five Rams scored in double figures in this one led by 19 points by Naim Muhammad- Steffan Davis added 15- AJ Carr tallied 14- Skyler Roman had 12- and- Winston Burgess netted 10 in the victory.  The Rams shot 41 percent as a team- 39 percent from the 3-point line- and shot 68 percent (17-25) at the free throw line.  The Rams had 16 assists, but amazingly only had three turnovers in the contest.
  NDC playing without Kobie Johnson (concussion) was led by Will Vorhees and Kyauta Taylor who combined for 67 of the team's 77 points.  Vorhees had another monster game with 44 points and 13 rebounds- while Taylor added 23 of his own.
  The Falcons shot 59 percent as a team- shot 32 percent (7-22) from the 3-point line- and were a solid 78 percent (14-18) at the free throw line.  The Falcons won the rebounding battle 34-28.  They had 17 assists and 14 turnovers as a team.
  The game began with the team's tied at seven in the early going. Then the Falcons went on a 15-3 run to take a 22-10 lead. Vorhees would score the first 15 Falcons points and 17 of the first 19. Drew Scarberry would bury a 3-pointer at the 11:06 mark to make it a 12 point NDC lead.  NDC would stretch the lead to 13 (26-13) at the 9:30 mark of the opening half before the Rams would battle back.  Shepherd would go on a 15-5 run to end the first half and take a one point lead (34-33) into the intermission.
  The second half would start with some back and forth action.  Vorhees hit a 3-pointer on the opening trip of the second half to give NDC the lead back, then the Rams would get a basket and we would have three ties in the next couple minutes.
 The game would be knotted at 41 before NDC would go on a 12-0 run spearheaded by eight points from Taylor.  After a layup by Taylor NDC looked to be in control with a 15 point lead (62-47) at the 11:08 mark.  The Rams would once again have a response, this time a 14-1 run capped by a Muhammad layup that cut it to two (63-61.)  NDC would not lead by more than seven the rest of the way.  The Rams would have another response that would tie up the game at 70 with 2:08 to go after a Burgess free throw.  Shepherd then looked to take control as they would score the next five before a old fashioned 3-point play by Vorhees would get NDC right back in it with 26 ticks left on the clock.  The Falcons would see Burgess give the Rams a two point lead before Meggins 3-pointer would give NDC the lead with 17 seconds to go.  Skyler Roman missed the shot that would give the Rams the lead but Davis got the rebound and made the floater with .4 seconds to go that would ultimately be the game winner.
  NDC will be back in action Thursday when they travel to Urbana. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Fairmont State 104 Urbana 75
Wheeling Jesuit 88 Virginia Wise 81
West Liberty 125 Concord 73
West Virginia Wesleyan 78 West Virginia State 73
Glenville State 83 Charleston 77

#2 Fighting Falcons 3-Point Barrage Ends NDC Streak at Nine!

The Notre Dame College Falcons  went 'toe to toe' with the 2nd ranked Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State for much of the day but ultimately fell 97-77 in front of a spirited crowd in Murphy Gym on Saturday afternoon.  With the win Fairmont State improved to 15-0 on the year and 9-0 in the MEC.  While NDC dropped to 12-3 overall and 6-3 in the MEC with the loss.
  Matt Bingaya poured in a game high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead four Fighting Falcons in double figures- D'Ondre Stockman nailed six 3-pointer's en route to his 22 point effort- while Vonte Montgomery (14 points) and Thomas Wimbush (13 point and nine rebounds) also tallied double figures.  The Fighting Falcons shot a blistering 51 percent as a team- while they drained 50 percent (18 of 36) of their 3-pointer's. They had 25 assists and just nine turnovers in the game.
  NDC saw its nine game winning streak halted with a rare home loss. They also had four players score in double figures in the game.  Ja'Sean Lewis scored 17 points- dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds.  Kyauta Taylor and Kobie Johnson each scored 16- while Will Vorhees scored 12 to go along with seven rebounds.
  The Falcons shot 49 percent as a team. They shot 39 percent (9-23) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line they shot 75 percent (12-16.)  NDC won the rebounding battle 37-34.  They had 21 assists and 20 turnovers in the contest.
  NDC scored the game's first four points but the Fighting Falcons would then go on a 24-5 run to take a 24-9 nearly halfway thru the first half.  NDC would respond with a 14-0 run of their own after a Vorhees layup, a Lewis 3-pointer and a Meggins basket made it a one point game (24-23.)
  The rest of the first half would see Fairmont State stretch the lead out to six with about 40 seconds to go in the frame before a rough stretch for NDC closed the half. Bingaya would score on a layup and then right before halftime the Fighting Falcons would get a deep 3-pointer from Shammgod Wells that was easily five feet behind the 3-point line that gave them a 11 point lead (45-34) at the intermission.
  NDC got off to a quick start in the second half as Johnson would score and then Taylor would knock down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to eight (47-39.)  After Lewis hit a pair of free throws for NDC Fairmont State would get a 3-point basket to get the lead back out to 12 with about 17 minutes to go.  NDC would battle hard and get to within eight (73-65) with 7:49 to go but that is as close as they would get. Turnovers by NDC and some timely offensive rebounds down the stretch would be the difference down the stretch.  Fairmont State scored 30 points off of 20 NDC turnovers- while the Falcons scored 15 points off nine Fighting Falcons turnovers.
  NDC will be back in action Monday afternoon when they take on Shepherd. Tip time at Murphy Gym is set for 2 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Wheeling Jesuit 83 Concord 80
West Virginia Wesleyan 86 Charleston 84
West Liberty 98 Virginia Wise 71
Shepherd 84 Urbana 77
Grenville State 92 West Virginia State 76
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 9-0 (15-0)
West Liberty 8-1 (14-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 8-1 (14-1)
Notre Dame College 6-3 (12-3)
Shepherd 6-3 (9-6)
Grenville State 4-5 (7-6)
Charleston 3-6 (9-6)
Urbana 3-6 (8-7)
West Virginia Wesleyan 3-6 (6-9)
West Virginia State 2-7 (5-10)
Concord 1-8 (5-10)
Virginia Wise 1-8 (3-12)

Falcons Cruise To Ninth Straight.

The Notre Dame Falcons travelled to Virginia Wise on Tuesday evening and opened up a 23 point halftime lead, led by as many as 28 before a second half rally by the Cavaliers fell short in a 98-89 NDC road win at the Prior Center. The victory was the ninth straight for NDC and ran the team's record to 12-2 overall and 6-2 in the MEC. With the loss UVA-Wise fell to 3-11 overall and 1-7 in the MEC.
  NDC was led by 32 points and seven assists from Kyauta Taylor- Taylor nailed seven 3-pointer's on his way to a 32 point night.  The East Tech product was 7 of 10 from the 3-point line. Reigning MEC Player Of The Week Will Vorhees added 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The 21 point effort snapped Vorhees streak of four consecutive games with 30+points.  Oliver Meggins hit three 3-pointers en route to his 15 point night- while Drew Scarberry hit four 3-pointer's on his way to 14.  Kobie Johnson rounded out the double digit scorers with 12.
  NDC shot the ball extremely well on the night. They shot 49 percent from the field- and 44 percent (15-34) from the 3-point line. The only place they struggled shooting was at the free throw line where they shot 59 percent (13-22.) NDC crushed the Cavaliers in the rebounding battle 49-39.  They had 29 assists and 21 turnovers.
  The Cavaliers had three players in double figures led by 24 points from Michal Seals. Seals was 17 of 18 at the free throw line on the night- Talwo Badmus had a big night turning in a double-double (23 points and 16 rebounds-) while Ricardo Hill Jr. hit four 3-pointer's en route to his 14 points.
  The Cavaliers struggled shooting the ball from the field (36 percent) and from the 3-point line 7-25 for 28 percent.)  They got to the free throw line 41 times making 32 (78 percent.)  They had 14 assists and 15 turnovers in the loss.
  It was the Cavaliers who got off to the good start as both teams struggled to score in the early going. After a Badmus basket UVA-Wise had a five point lead (10-5) with 12:55 in the opening half.  After another Wise basket NDC would go on a 19-2 run to open up a 24-12 lead at the 9:19 mark. Meggins would nail three 3-pointer's during the run.  Kyauta Taylor would hit three 3-pointer's as well and score 18 of his 32 in the opening half as NDC would take a 23 point halftime lead.
  The Falcons would build on the lead to start the second half and would take their largest lead of 28 (60-32) at the 14:11 mark after a Meggins layup.  The Cavaliers would score the next eight points to get to within 20 (60-40.)  The Falcons would maintain a comfortable lead until another 8-0 run by the Cavaliers would get them to within 12 (87-75) at the 3:56 mark. NDC would hang on for the victory.
  NDC will be back in action Saturday as they will welcome #2 Fairmont State to Murphy Gym. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Shepherd 102 Charleston 74
Fairmont State 105 West Virginia State 78
Wheeling Jesuit 104 Glenville State 94
West Liberty 97 West Virginia Wesleyan 76
Urbana 73 Concord 71
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 8-0 (14-0)
West Liberty 7-1 (13-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 7-1 (13-1)
Notre Dame College 6-2 (12-2)
Shepherd 5-3 (8-6)
Charleston 3-5 (9-5)
Urbana 3-5 (8-6)
Glenville State 3-5 (6-6)
West Virginia State 2-6 (5-9)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-6 (5-9)
Concord 1-7 (5-9)

 

Hot Shooting NDC Upends Concord.

The Notre Dame College Falcons used a balanced attack to get by Concord 95-87 on Sunday afternoon at the Carter Center in Athens,West Virginia. With the victory NDC improved to 11-2 and 5-2 in the MEC. With the loss Concord fell to 5-9 and 1-7 in the MEC.
  NDC was led by a 31 point effort from Will Vorhees. Vorhees scored 30 points or more for the third straight game and added nine rebounds- Kyauta Taylor and Kobie Johnson added 20 points each- while Drew Scarberry nailed five 3-pointer's en route to his 17 point effort off the bench. Ja'Sean Lewis put together arguably his best game of the season as he led the Falcons in both rebounds (16) and assists (10) to go along with his four points.
 The Falcons shot 51 percent as a team in the game. They shot 39 percent (11-28) from the 3-point line and shot at a 80 percent clip (12-15) from the free throw line.  The Falcons and Concord each secured 39 rebounds on the day.  The Falcons had 21 assists and turned the ball over 12 times.
  The Mountain Lions were paced by Aaron Miller with 22 points- Micheal Sanchez added 15- Cam Shannon chipped in 12- and Babe Murphy rounded out the double digit scorers with 10.  Patrick Eugene led the Mountain Lions with 11 rebounds- while Sanchez led the team dishing out five assists.
  Concord shot 45 percent from the floor and went 14-36 (39 percent) from the 3-point line.  They only got to the free throw line nine times making seven (78 percent.)  The Mountain Lions had 18 assists and nine turnovers.
  The Mountain Lions came out hot in the early going. They would use a 8-0 run to build a lead and then stretched it to 12 (20-8) at the 14:20 mark of the opening half.
  NDC would then go on a 10-0 spurt capped by a Vorhees bucket to cut the lead to two (20-18.)  The game was played evenly for the next several minutes but NDC would get the lead 32-31 after a Kyauta Taylor layup with five minutes in the opening half. The lead would be short lived and the game would be knotted at 40 headed to the intermission.
  After the two teams traded baskets to begin the half Vorhees would drill a 3-pointer that would give the Falcons the lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way.  The Vorhees 3-pointer would spark a 25-8 run by the Falcons that would give them a 17 point lead (67-50) with 13:11 to go.
 The Mountain Lions would fight hard to the finish but would not get any closer than six the rest of the way.  They got it to that margin in the game's final minute before a Lewis jumper and a pair of Johnson free throws would seal the victory.
  NDC will be back in action Tuesday when they take on Virginia Wise. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Wheeling Jesuit 82 West Virginia Wesleyan 73
Urbana 67 Virginia Wise 65
Fairmont State 95 Charleston 78
Shepherd 106 West Virginia State 61
West Liberty 108 Glenville State 105 (OT)
MEC Standings:
Fairmont State 70 (13-0)
West Liberty 6-1 (12-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 6-1 (12-1)
Notre Dame College 5-2 (11-2)
Shepherd 4-3 (7-6)
Charleston 3-4 (9-4)
Grenville State 3-4 (6-5)
Urbana 3-5 (8-6)
West Virginia State 2-5 (5-8)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-5 (5-8)
Virginia Wise 1-6 (3-10)
Concord 1-7 (5-9)

Second Half Surge Gets NDC Past Bobcats.

The Notre Dame College Falcons used a 17-0 run in the second half to turn a game that was once knotted at 56 into a 17 point lead and a 79-65 win at Murphy Gym on Thursday night. The win was the seventh straight for the Falcons in DII play (they did have a loss to DI Bowling Green during the streak.)  With the win NDC improved to 10-2 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain East Conference. With the loss Wesleyan drops to 5-7 overall and 2-4 in the MEC.
  The Falcons were led by 34 points by Kyauta Taylor- while Will Vorhees added 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Ja'Sean Lewis had eight points- grabbed eight rebounds- and also blocked five shots.  Kobie Johnson dished out a team leading seven assists.  NDC shot 57 percent as a team in the victory. They were 6-17 (35 percent) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line the Falcons shot a respectable 69 percent (9-13.)  NDC dominated the rebounding battle, out rebounding the Bobcats 39-27.  NDC had 19 assists and 13 turnovers.
  The Bobcats had three players notch double figures on the night.  Mo Berchie led the way with 16 points- Kevin Kangni netted 14- and- Fred Brondstedt chipped in 13.
  Wesleyan shot 38 percent as a team- they were 10-30 (33 percent) from the 3-point line.  At the free throw line they shot 85 percent (11-13.)  They had 17 assists and 11 turnovers.
  The game would be a back and forth affair in the early going as neither team could go on a run.  The largest lead for either team would be six in the game's first seven minutes.  After the Falcons trailed by four, they would get a conventional three-point play from Vorhees to cut the deficit to 14-11 at the 14:26 mark of the opening stanza.  Fred Brondstedt would knock down a 3-pointer and the lead would be back to six just like that.  The game would be evenly played for the next several minutes and Wesleyan would lead by six (28-22) with just under nine minutes to go in the half.  NDC would fight back and knot the game at 29 on a Taylor 3-pointer at the 5:09 mark.  The next four minutes would be much like the rest of the half and it would be a two point (35-33) lead for the Bobcats with 1:29 to go after a Petrovich layup. That would be the halftime score as neither team would score the rest of the opening half.
   The second half would begin with three ties in the first five minutes.  Vorhees would give NDC the lead with 14:10 to go after a pair of free throws. Mo Berchie would tie the game at 56 after a 3-pointer and then the Falcons would take control. NDC would go on a 17-0 run to put this one out of reach for the Bobcats with 4:04 remaining.  The NDC lead would grow to as many as 20 and they would cruise to victory from there.
  NDC will be back in action Sunday when they head to West Virginia to face the Concord Mountain Lions. Tip time is set for 4 PM.

Falcons Run Win Streak To Six.

 The Notre Dame Falcons got career nights from both Oliver Meggins and Will Vorhees that lifted them to a 97-93 win over Glenville State at Murphy Gym Tuesday night. Vorhees set a new career high and was one point shy of a NDC record with his 44 points. He also added 10 rebounds. Meggins scored 25 in his career best evening, adding seven rebounds and six assists. With the win NDC improved to 9-2 (3-2) on the season. Glenville State dropped to 5-4 (2-3) with the loss.
  NDC shot 57 percent as a team- they shot at a 40 percent clip (10-25) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot 85 percent (17-20) at the free throw line.  They had 26 assists and 14 turnovers as a team.
  The Pioneers were led by four players in double figures on the night. Brett Morris led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds- they also got a 21 point effort from Jon Dunmeyer- while Terry Davis Jr, and Jalon Plummer added 17 points each.
 Glenville State shot 44 percent as a team- but they really struggled from the 3-point line, hitting only 24 percent (6-25) from the 3-point line. They were a solid 92 percent (23-25) at the free throw line.  They won the rebounding battle 39-33. They had 13 assists and 14 turnovers as a team.
  The first half was a very closely contested half as the Falcons would hold the largest lead of the half. They would lead by six (30-24) after a Taylor layup at the 6:08 mark.  NDC would hold a slight one point edge (48-47) at the intermission.
  The second half would be a back and forth affair as well. The lead would change hands 12 times in all in this one.  At the 14:35 mark NDC would build its largest lead at 11 (69-58) after a Vorhees basket.
 The Pioneers would fight back though and after a Davis 3-pointer would lead by one (79-78) at the 8:51 mark.  The Pioneers would maintain that lead until NDC would knot the game at 86 at the 4:39 mark. That would be part of a 10-0 Falcons run that would give them a six point lead (92-86) at the 1:08 mark. NDC would hang on late for the victory as Lewis would hit a pair of crucial free throws to seal it.
 NDC will be back in action Thursday when they take on West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time at Murphy Gym is set for 7:30 PM.