Looking To Get Over The Hump.

Last time the Notre Dame College Falcons and Shepherd got together it was a very entertaining basketball game back on 1/11 that saw the Rams come out on top 94-91. The two teams will meet again Thursday this time at Shepherd. The Rams come in with a record of 12-8 overall and 8-6 in the MEC. While NDC comes in with a record of 5-15 overall and 3-11 in the MEC.
  NDC is coming off a 100-62 drubbing at Charleston on Saturday. Levi Frankland returned and scored 17 points in his first game back since getting injured in the first meeting versus Shepherd (when he scored 18 points.)  Kyauta Taylor scored 24 points in the first meeting between the two schools and is coming off a 16 point contest versus Charleston. Taylor leads the Falcons in scoring at 19.6 points per game- he also adds 5.1 rebounds- and- 3.4 assists a contest.  Drew Scarberry puts up 13.1 points per game- and- shoots 40 percent from the 3-point line.  Angelo Cugini also is averaging in double figures at 10.1 points per game- to go along with a team leading 7.9 rebounds a night.  The Falcons score 84 points a game as a team- while they allow 93.2 a night. They make 12.4 3-pointer's a game as a team but really cooled off last week in a pair of losses.
 Angelo Cugini talked about what he expects tomorrow:
" We have to play hard for 40 minutes straight plain and simple." Cugini said."
A great quote from Michael Scott is perfect for tomorrow's game:
" You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Cugini mentioned."
  Oliver Megins agreed with Cugini:
" We have to play defense... I guess that's what Angelo is saying because it's all effort. If we don't defend then expect a similar result to Charleston." Megins said."
  Drew Scarberry talked about the game plan:
" We know what we have to do, we understand the game plan. It just comes down to us coming out ready to go and getting the job done." Scarberry said."
  Shepherd is coming off a 99-88 upset win over Wheeling Jesuit last time out.  Thomas Lang led six Rams in double figures with 23 points in that game.  Cam Stephens scored 16- Steffen Davis and AJ Carr each had 10- while Devin Smith and Winston Burgess netted 10 points each.  The Rams come into the game averaging 78.8 points a game on the offensive end- while defensively they give up 76.3 per contest.
 Carr leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game- and- rebounding at 8.7 per contest.  Lang scores 14.1 a night- Davis 12.7 a game- and- Burgess 11.4 per night.  Lang is the top assists man at 3.6 per game.  In the first meeting Derek McKnight had 23 to lead the Rams.  Lang had 16- Davis 15- while Burgess and Carr added 13 points each.
  Other MEC Games Thursday:
Glenville State @West Virginia State
West Virginia Wesleyan @Charleston
Concord @Wheeling Jesuit
Urbana @Fairmont State
Virginia Wise @West Liberty
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 13-1 (18-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-3 (16-4)
Fairmont State 11-3 (15-5)
West Virginia State 10-4 (12-7)
Charleston 8-6 (12-8)
Shepherd 8-6 (12-8)
Concord 7-7 (11-9)
Virginia Wise 6-8 (8-12)
NDC 3-11 (5-15)
West Virginia Wesleyan 3-11 (3-17)
Glenville State 2-12 (3-16)
Urbana 2-12 (3-16)

Just One Of Those Nights.

The Notre Dame College Falcons have had a tough year but on this night nothing went there way. In the end the Falcons suffered a 100-62 thrashing at Charleston on Saturday. With the win the Golden Eagles improved to 12-8 overall and 8-6 in the MEC. The Falcons dropped to 5-15 overall and 3-11 in the MEC.
 Charleston was led by five players in double figures. Riley Heatherington and Austin Howard each scored 16 points. Heatherington added a team leading 12 rebounds. Kier Anderson scored 13- Anton Ivy added 12- and- Lamont McManus had 10. The Golden Eagles shot 60 percent from the field- 50 percent (11-22) from the 3-point line- and- 69 percent (9-13) at the free throw line.  The Golden Eagles crushed the Falcons on the boards 45-27.  Charleston had 22 assists and eight turnovers.
  NDC struggled shooting for the second straight game. They shot 34 percent from the field- 34 percent (11-32) from the 3-point line. They shot a solid 73 percent (11-15) at the free throw line.  The Falcons had 11 assists and 10 turnovers.
 Levi Frankland returned from injury and led the Falcons with 17 points on Saturday- while Kyauta Taylor added 16. Jack Kelsheimer and Drew Scarberry added nine points each. Angelo Cugini had a team leading nine rebounds- while Oliver Megins led the team with six assists.
 The Falcons were without the services of Halil Parks on Saturday as he went thru concussion protocol. The Golden Eagles started out the gate by scoring the game's first seven points. NDC would trail 13-8 at the first media timeout. After a Kelsheimer 3-pointer it would be a 16-14 Falcons deficit at the 12:47 mark of the first half. NDC would stay within two (23-21) before a 8-0 Golden Eagles run made it 31-21 at the 9:35 mark after a Gibson 3-pointer. NDC would trail by 17 (43-26) before a mini NDC run cut it to 11 (45-34) after another Frankland 3-pointer. The last four points went to the Golden Eagles including a dunk right before the halftime buzzer that stretched the margin to 15 (49-34.)
  Howard had 16 and Heatherington 10 to lead Charleston in the opening half. They shot 53 percent from the field- 47 percent from the 3-point line- and- 75 percent (6-8) at the free throw line.  The Golden Eagles won the rebounding battle 22-16 in the first 20 minutes. They had 10 assists and five turnovers.
  NDC was led by Taylor and Frankland with 10 points each. They shot 37 percent from the field- 44 percent from the 3-point line- and- 83 percent (5-6) at the free throw line.  They had seven assists and six turnovers in the opening half.
 After a Cugini free throw the Golden Eagles went on a 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 23. The Falcons would get no closer than 18 the rest of the way. The Golden Eagles would lead by as many as 44 in this one.
 Coach Tim Koenig summed up this one:
" It was a tough night. Tough night on both ends of the court. We had some good looks but just missed a lot of shots. They crushed us on the boards but most of there rebounds were on the defensive end." Koenig said."
Koenig added:
" As a team we need to get better defensively. We need to stick together and work together. We also need to keep people out of the paint."
" Nothing comes easy for this team. We will get back at it Monday and get ready for our next long road trip next week. " Koenig mentioned.
The Falcons will be back in action Thursday when they travel to take on Shepherd. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Scores:
Virginia Wise 89 Glenville State 87 (OT)
Shepherd 99 Wheeling Jesuit 88
West Virginia State 94 Urbana 79
West Virginia Wesleyan 61 Concord 52
Sunday: Fairmont State 98 West Liberty 97
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 13-1 (18-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-3 (15-4)
Fairmont State 11-3 (15-5)
West Virginia State 10-4 (12-7)
Charleston 8-6 (12-8)
Shepherd 8-6 (12-8)
Concord 7-7 (10-9)
Virginia Wise 6-8 (8-12)
NDC 3-11 (5-15)
West Virginia Wesleyan 3-11 (3-17)
Glenville State 2-12 (3-16)
Urbana 2-12 (3-16)

On The Road Again.

The Notre Dame College Falcons will hit the road once again Saturday. This time it is a trip to Charleston to take on the Golden Eagles. The game will be the first of a three game road trip for NDC. The Falcons come in with a record of 5-14 and 3-10 in the MEC. Charleston comes in with a record of 11-8 and 7-6 in the MEC. The game will tip at 4 PM from the Charleston Civic Center. You can catch the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
  NDC Forward Oliver Megins described the matchup:
" It's going to be a tough one tomorrow, but if we win the boards we will win the game. They got to many second and third opportunities last game (a 103-76 Golden Eagles win) which hurt us. They are not the best shooting team so if we can limit their shots and play good defense then the W will be ours! We don't need to worry about our offense, we are scoring with ease. Just the defense and the turnovers need to stop." Megins said."
  Angelo Cugini talked about defense and playing together:
" We need to play really good defense against these guys and for the rest of the year.  Defense wins championships. If we just play hard and play together the sky is the limit for this team." Cugini said."
  The Falcons last game was a 98-86 loss to West Virginia State at home on Wednesday. Halil Parks paced four Falcons in double figures with 26 points. The Arlington, Va. native was 13 of 14 at the free throw line. KT Taylor scored 21- Drew Scarberry added 14- while Megins added 13. Cugini had a team-leading 13 rebounds to go along with nine points. The Falcons shot 43 percent from the field- uncharacteristically they shot just 33 percent (10-30) from the 3-point line. They shot 80 percent (16-20) at the free throw line.  NDC won the rebounding battle 46-43. They had 23 turnovers though and 12 assists.
 Taylor leads the season box score at 19.7 points a game. The senior from Cleveland also averages 5.2 rebounds- and- 3.4 assists per night. Parks stuffs the season box score averaging 14.8 points- 4.1 rebounds- and- 3.5 assists a game. Scarberry puts up 13.3 points a game and shoots 40 percent from the 3-point line on the season. Cugini also averages double figures at 10.3 points per game to go along with a team leading 7.8 rebounds a night. They come into the game averaging 85.2 points per game while they give up 92.8 per night. The Falcons make an average of 12.4 3-pointer's per contest as well.
 Charleston is coming off a 54-53 win over Urbana on Wednesday. Austin Howard scored 13 points- while Kier Anderson and Jordan Smith added 10 each. The Golden Eagles shot 35 percent from the floor and 33 percent (3-9) from the 3-point line in the narrow victory. They shot 59 percent (13-22) from the free throw line- had nine assists and 10 turnovers. It was a 43-29 advantage for the Golden Eagles on the boards that was the difference in this one.  Smith leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game- Howard scores 10.8 a night- while Lamont McManus puts up 10.7 a game.  Justin Stanback leads the team in rebounding at 4.7 per game. They average 81.3 points per game- while they allow 78 per night.
Other MEC Games Saturday:
Wheeling Jesuit @Shepherd
Glenville State @Virginia Wise
West Virginia Wesleyan @Concord
Urbana@West Virginia State
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 13-0 (18-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-2 (15-3)
Fairmont State 10-3 (14-5)
West Virginia State 9-4 (11-7)
Charleston 7-6 (11-8)
Shepherd 7-6 (11-8)
Concord 7-6 (10-8)
Virginia Wise 5-8 (7-12)
NDC 3-10 (5-14)
Glenville State 2-11 (3-15)
Urbana 2-11 (3-15)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-11 (2-17)

Falcons Fall At Home Wednesday.

The Notre Dame College Falcons got off to a rough start aided by turnovers and missed shots, mounted a bit of a comeback but eventually fell short 98-86 to West Virginia State at Murphy Gym Wednesday night. With the victory West Virginia State improved to 11-7 and 9-4 in the MEC. With the loss the Falcons drop to 5-14 and 3-10 in the MEC.
  Pat Johnson-Agwu led the Yellow Jackets with 25 points on the evening. Isiah Noel chipped in 19- Jeremiah Moore scored 15- and- Robert Fomby added 13 to go along with nine rebounds. The Yellow Jackets shot 48 percent as a team- 25 percent (8-32) from the 3-point line- and- 63 percent (10-16) at the free throw line.  The Yellow Jackets had 16 assists and 16 turnovers.
  NDC was paced by Halil Parks with 26 points. Parks went 13 of 14 at the free throw line in this one.  Kyauta Taylor added 21 points- Drew Scarberry knocked down 3 3-pointer's and scored 14. Oliver Megins added 13- and- Angelo Cugini scored nine to go along with a team leading 13 rebounds. The Falcons shot 43 percent from the field- 33 percent (10-30) from the 3-point line- and- 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line.  The Falcons won the rebounding battle 46-43. They had 12 assists and 23 turnovers in the defeat.
 When asked about what is emphasized in practice when it comes to breaking the press here is what coach Tim Koenig had to say:
" We need to have better spacing. We need to come back to the ball more often, we need to pass thru the pressure not dribble thru it. The ball can not stick." Koenig said."
 When speaking of the off night shooting from the 3-point line:
" If these guys are open, especially Drew- Ollie- Even Angelo if they have open 3-pointer's I want them to shoot. We had some passed open shots, you only get maybe two of those per possession. We don't want to settle for jump shots though. " Koenig mentioned."
 The Falcons would trail 9-5 early before Taylor would go on a 5-0 run himself to put NDC up 10-9. After a Scarberry basket and a pair of Parks free throws it would be a 14-9 NDC lead at the 12:36 mark of the first half. Then WVSU would counter with a 12-0 run to lead 21-14 after a Johnson-Agwu free throw halfway thru the half. NDC would close to with two (23-21) after a Megins 3-pointer at the 9:11 mark of the first stanza. Over the next four minutes the Yellow Jackets went on a 15-0 run to open up a 15 point lead at the 5:54 mark of the half. The biggest lead of the half would be 18 and it would be 48-33 WVSU at the break.
  Johnson-Agwu had 13 and Moore nine to lead WVSU in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot 45 percent in the first stanza. They went 3 of 18 (17 percent) from the 3-point line.  They had five assists and four turnovers in the opening half.
NDC was led by Parks  with 13 points in the first 20 minutes. Taylor added seven- while Cugini and Taylor each had a team leading six rebounds. NDC shot 31 percent from the field- 31 percent from the 3-point line- and- 70 percent (7-10) at the free throw line in the first half. Each team had 27
  rebounds.  The Falcons had five assists and 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
  In the second half the Yellow Jackets would stretch the lead to 21 (60-39) after a Johnson-Agwu jam with 15:16 to go. The lead would grow to as many as 27 (70-43) after a Fomby layup at the 13:20 mark. The Falcons would not go away though. After being down 21 (91-70) the Falcons would go on a 8-0 burst and trail 91-78 with 2:39 to go. NDC would get within 10 after a Scarberry 3-pointer at the 1:07 mark but that would be as close as they would get.
When asked about playing with a short bench since all of the injuries this year:
" We have great belief in the personnel that we have. We are only going seven deep right now, we will continue to adapt. Maybe we could go to eight or nine but we will re evaluate that later." Koenig said."
 On his feelings after this one:
" We have played better over the last two weeks. We will put this one behind us and be ready to go on Saturday at Charleston." Koenig said."
NDC will travel to Charleston and play the Golden Eagles in the Civic Center on Saturday. Tip time is set for 4 PM. As always you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Scores Wednesday:
Wheeling Jesuit 88 Fairmont State 82
West Liberty 115 Shepherd 78
Concord 94 Glenville State 67
Virginia Wise 61 West Virginia Wesleyan 50
Charleston 54 Urbana 53
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 13-0 (18-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 11-2 (15-3)
Fairmont State 10-3 (14-5)
West Virginia State 9-4 (11-7)
Charleston 7-6 (11-8)
Shepherd 7-6 (11-8)
Concord 7-6 (10-8)
Virginia Wise 5-8 (7-12)
NDC 3-10 (5-14)
Glenville State 2-11 (3-15)
Urbana 2-11 (3-15)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-11 (2-17)

Upstart NDC Looks To Slow Down West Virginia State Wednesday.

The upstart Falcons of Notre Dame College look to slow down one of the hottest teams in the MEC when they host the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State Wednesday at Murphy Gym. NDC comes in with a record of 5-13 and 3-9 in the MEC. With Saturday's overtime win over Urbana the Falcons sit ninth in the MEC. While the Yellow Jackets have moved up to fourth place in the MEC with a recent hot streak and a record of 10-7 overall and 8-4 in the MEC.  You can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com with Andrew Luftglass on the call.
  NDC split a pair of games last week . First they were a 105-86 loser to Wheeling Jesuit on Wednesday. Drew Scarberry nailed eight 3-pointer's to score a game high 28 points- while Kyauta Taylor added 22 of his own. Last time out NDC scored a big 97-85 overtime win over Urbana at the Grimes Center. Taylor nailed seven 3-pointer's on his way to 25 points- Halil Parks scored 22 including three free throws with 2.6 seconds left that sent the game to overtime. Angelo Cugini scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Oliver Megins- Cole Hayes and Scarberry also scored in double figures. The Falcons scored the first 10 points of the extra frame and had a 15-3 advantage in the extra session.
 Taylor is third in the MEC scoring 19.7 points per game-  Parks scores 14.1 points a night- Scarberry  scores 13.2 a game- and- Cugini scores 10.4 points and grabs 7.5 rebounds per night. The Falcons average 85.1 points per game on the season- while they allow 92.6 per night. NDC is 2-5 at home on the season. They shoot the ball well from the 3-point line where they shoot 39 percent as a team. As they make more than 12 3-pointer's per contest.
 NDC Guard Jack Kelsheimer speaks of what Saturday's win could mean to this team:
" Hopefully we can keep our momentum rolling after a big win over the weekend. We are a much better team than when we first played them earlier this year. It's going to be another great opportunity to take another step forward." Kelsheimer said."
 The Yellow Jackets won a pair of tight ones last week. First they were a 90-88 overtime winner over Virginia Wise on Wednesday. In that game Glen Abrom scored 26 points to lead the way. Robert Fomby had 18 points and 13 rebounds- while Jahlen Greene scored 15. On Saturday they were a 83-82 winner over Charleston.  Five Yellow Jackets scored in double figures in that one.
   Pat-Johnson Agwu leads the Yellow Jackets box score at 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per night. Ernest Jenkins puts up 14.2 per contest- while Fomby who is the reigning MEC Player Of The Week averages 12.8 per night. As a team the Jackets score 87.2 per night- while they give up 87 a contest.
 The Falcons will next be in action Saturday when they travel to Charleston. Tip time is set for 4 PM.
Other MEC Games Wednesday:
Fairmont State @ Wheeling Jesuit
Concord @Glenville State
Virginia Wise @ West Virginia Wesleyan
Shepherd @West Liberty
Charleston @Urbana
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 12-0 (17-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-2 (14-3)
Fairmont State 10-2 (14-4)
West Virginia State 8-4 (10-7)
Shepherd 7-5 (11-7)
Charleston 6-6 (10-8)
Concord 6-6 (9-8)
Virginia Wise 4-8 (6-12)
NDC 3-9 (5-13)
Glenville State 2-10 (3-14)
Urbana 2-10 (3-14)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-10 (2-16)

Taking Care Of Business! Falcons Win Overtime Thriller

The Notre Dame College Falcons got three free throws from Halil Parks with 2.6 seconds left and then played a near flawless overtime in the 97-85 overtime win over Urbana in the Grimes Center. With the win NDC improves to 5-13 and 3-9 in the MEC. While the loss drops Urbana to 3-14 and 2-10 in the MEC.
  Kyauta Taylor led six Falcons in double figures with 25 points- Halil Parks added 22- Angelo Cugini netted 19 to go along with nine rebounds- Oliver Meggins contributed 11- while both Drew Scarberry and Cole Hayes notched 10.  NDC shot 52 percent from the field- 38 percent (9-24) from the 3-point line- and- 73 percent (22-30) at the free throw line.  NDC had 11 assists and 11 turnovers.
  Urbana was led by Ethan Snapp with 18 points- Carlas Jackson scored 16- Roy Hatchett had 14- and- Malik Jacobs tallied 11. The Blue Knights shot 43 percent from the field- 56 percent (10-18) at the free throw line- and- edged NDC on the boards 41-40. Urbana had 16 assists and 12 turnovers.
  Urbana scored the first bucket of the game and then the Falcons went on a 12-2 run to lead 12-4 at the first media timeout after the first of Taylor's seven 3-pointers on the day. It was a two point game (23-21) midway thru the opening half. NDC would be back up double digits (38-28) after a Cugini layup at the 3:38 mark of the half. The Falcons would eventually take a 44-37 lead into the locker room.
  Taylor had 14 points and Cugini 13 to lead NDC in the first 20 minutes. NDC shot 65 percent from the field in the first half. They shot 55 percent (6-11) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot 57 percent (4-7) at the free throw line.  Each team had 15 rebounds in the half. NDC had seven assists and six turnovers.
  Roy Hatchett had 12 and Carlas Jackson 11 to lead Urbana in the opening half. The Blue Knights shot 46 percent from the field- 40 percent (6-15) from the 3-point line- and- 25 percent (1-4) at the free throw line.  The Blue Knights had eight assists and five turnovers in the half.
  The Falcons would stretch the lead to 11 early in the second half. After a Megins free throw NDC held a 12 point lead (56-44) with under 15 minutes to go. The Blue Knights would go on a 8-0 run before a Parks layup made it 58-52 NDC at the 11:48 mark. NDC would get another 3-pointer from Taylor at the 6:06 mark that would make it 74-65. Urbana would retake the lead 78-76 after a 3-pointer by Carlas Jackson with 2:21 in regulation. Urbana would score the next basket and then the Falcons got a free throw by Cugini and a layup with 55 seconds to cut the lead to one (80-79.)  After two Hatchett free throws put Urbana back up three with 13 seconds NDC got the ball back. Parks was fouled on a 3-point attempt and drained all three free throws to knot the game at 82. Urbana had a chance to win it but the 3-pointer did not go and we went to overtime.
 Taylor hit a 3-pointer to set the tone for the overtime and silenced the crowd in the process. NDC would lead by 12 (94-82) before Urbana scored it''s only basket of the overtime. Then the Falcons iced the win at the free throw line.
  KT Taylor talked about his mindset in this one and the role Parks played in this win:
" I tried to be as aggressive as I could because I hurt my wrist earlier and got kneed in the thigh so I couldn't really drive but I got my shot going a little bit. The main thing was just playing our game. We got down late and did not hang our heads. We just kept grinding it out. HP (Parks) was big for us today, he won us that game but everyone contributed to the win. It just feels good to get in the win column. I think we can carry this momentum into the next game. " Taylor said."
Coach Tim Koenig spoke about the games he got from all his guys but particularly Cole Hayes and Parks:
" Cole did a great job of attacking and got some layups and dunks against some heavy ball pressure. HP was big as well, but everyone contributed in this one. I am really proud of these guys and it was a great win for them. HP's free throws were huge obviously. " Koenig said."
  Parks talked about the game Taylor had and what was going thru his mind when he was at the free throw line at the end of regulation:
" KT contributed all the way thru the game today. He always has his foot on the pedal and we need that from him every night. He plays a big role in energy not just on offense but defense as well. He just knows how to play the game with discipline and passion. I know he will show up to play every game like it is his last." Parks said."
Parks added:
" When I stepped to the line for the free throws I knew what had to be done. I have been in the same scenario in basketball games many times. Tonight was just one of those moments for me. I often try to stay calm, cool and collected in those moments. I had no doubt in my mind I was going to make all three free throws with all the confidence I have in myself and my teammates have in me. I knew we worked way too hard in that game to let that win slip away. I told them we aint done with this game yet, so I knocked down the free throws and got ready for overtime." Parks said."
 On the defensive effort tonight:
" Again tonight was one of our best defensive games. Guys were flying all over the place, being in help defense, and all things it took to help get stops. We were just playing the game like a team on both ends of the court and it was very fun to be a part of. " Parks said."
 NDC will be back in action Wednesday when they host West Virginia State. Tip time is 730 PM at Murphy Gym and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Scores:
Fairmont State 81 Shepherd 66
West Liberty 81 Wheeling Jesuit 78
West Virginia State 83 Charleston 82
Glenville State 71 West Virginia Wesleyan 65
Concord 80 Virginia Wise 77
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 12-0 (17-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-2 (14-3)
Fairmont State 10-2 (14-4)
West Virginia State 8-4 (10-7)
Shepherd 7-5 (11-7)
Charleston 6-6 (10-8)
Concord 6-6 (9-8)
Virginia Wise 4-8 (6-12)
NDC 3-9 (5-13)
Glenville State 2-10 (3-14)
Urbana 2-10 (3-14)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-10 (2-16)

NDC Heads To Urbana For Key MEC Game Saturday.

The Notre Dame College Falcons (4-13 2-9 MEC) take on the Urbana Blue Knights (3-13 2-9 MEC) in a key MEC conference game on Saturday at the Grimes Center. The game will tip at 4 PM and you can catch the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
  NDC comes into the contest having lost three straight. Last time out they were a 105-86 loser to Wheeling Jesuit on Wednesday. Drew Scarberry drilled eight 3-pointer's to pace the Falcons with 28 points- Kyauta Taylor added 22- Halil Parks scored all 14 of his points in the first half- and- Oliver Megins added 11. The Falcons shot 48 percent as a team- 50 percent (17-34) from the 3-point line- and- 85 percent (11-13) at the free throw line.  The Falcons had 14 assists and 20 turnovers.
 Wheeling shot 50 percent from the field- 52 percent (13-25) from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent (22-27) from the free throw line. Preston Boswell led the Cardinals with 22 points- Pat Moseh scored 21- Haywood Highsmith recorded a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds-) while Drake Goddard scored 16 and Jeremiah Wilson netted 13.
 In the previous game NDC was a 107-78 loser to Fairmont State.  Taylor paced the Falcons with 19- Scarberry scored 15- Angelo Cugini recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds- while Halil Parks added 11. The Falcons shot 41 percent from the field- 35 percent from the 3-point line- and- 64 percent (14-22) at the free throw line.
 The Fighting Falcons were led by Andrew Emrick with 27- Cole Von Handorf had 15- RJ Hutcherson had 13- and- Caleb Davis scored 11. Fairmont shot 53 percent from the field- 38 percent (12-32) from the 3-point line- and- 73 percent (11-15) at the free throw line.  The Fighting Falcons had 18 assists and five turnovers in the win.
  NDC averages 84.4 points a game on the season- while they give up 93 a night. The Falcons make 12.8 3-pointer's per game as a team as well. Individually Taylor leads the team in scoring at 19.4 points per game- he also averages five rebounds- and- 3.6 assists a contest. Halil Parks scores 13.5 points a game-while Scarberry is averaging 13.4 a night on 40 percent shooting from the 3-point line. Angelo Cugini leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 per game and averages 9.8 points per contest.
  Urbana (3-13 2-9 MEC) is coming off a 93-73 loss to #1 West Liberty on Wednesday night. Ethan Snapp led Urbana with 12 points- while Malik Jacobs- Carlas Jackson-and- Chris Jackson each scored 10 points.  The Blue Knights shot 42 percent from the floor- 38 percent from the 3-point line- and- 78 percent (18-23) from the free throw line.  The Blue Knights had 10 assists and 21 turnovers.
 West Liberty was led by 25 points from Dan Monteroso- Evan French scored 14- and- James Griffin netted 10.
  Malik Jacobs leads the Blue Knights averaging 16.8 points a game- Carlas Jackson is putting up 12.1 a night- while Snapp is scoring 10.1 a game.  Urbana is scoring 69.6 points a game- while they allow 81.4.
  Jack Kelsheimer spoke about the importance of the game:
" This is a must win game for us to keep our playoff hopes alive(only 10 of 12 teams in the MEC make the conference tournament.)  "Kelsheimer said."
Scarberry agreed:
" Like Jack said this is a must win game. We need to come out ready to go." Scarberry said."
NDC will be back in action Wednesday when they return home to face West Virginia State.
Other MEC Games Saturday:
West Liberty @ Wheeling Jesuit
West Virginia Wesleyan @Glenville State
Shepherd @Fairmont State
Concord @Virginia Wise
Charleston @West Virginia State
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 11-0 (16-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-1 (14-2)
Fairmont State 9-2 (13-4)
Shepherd 7-4 (11-6)
West Virginia State 7-4 (9-7)
Charleston 6-5 (10-7)
Concord 5-6 (8-8)
Virginia Wise 4-7 (6-11)
NDC 2-9 (4-13)
Urbana 2-9 (3-13)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-9 (2-15)
Glenville State 1-10 (2-14)

Scarberry Has Big Night In Falcons Loss.

Drew Scarberry knocked down eight 3-pointer's and scored a season high 28 points to go along with nine rebounds- but it was not enough as the hot shooting #16 Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals came away with a 105-86 win at the McDonough Center on Wednesday night. With the win Wheeling improved to 14-2 and 10-1 in the MEC. While NDC fell to 4-13 and 2-9 in the MEC with the loss.
Despite the loss Coach Tim Koenig remains positive:
" We have a damn good group of guys. We are going to figure this out. The turnover bugaboo came back tonight. We need to clean up the run outs at the other end. You can't win when you have 20 turnovers in a game and get beat up on the glass. You can't fault the effort at all though tonight." Koenig said."
" Hate to say this but Wheeling could not play any better than they did. We started out the game plan was not to fly at Goddard and then he made two 3-pointer's and we had to adjust. The bucket help was better also tonight. " Koenig said."
  Wheeling was led by 22 points from Preston Boswell- Pat Moseh added 21- Haywood Highsmith recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Drake Goddard added 16- and- Jeremiah Wilson scored 13 for the Cards. The Cardinals shot 50 percent from the field- 52 percent (13-25) from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent (22-27) at the free throw line.  Wheeling won the rebounding battle 40-31. The Cards had 28 assists and 11 turnovers.
  Scarberry scored 28 to lead the Falcons- KT Taylor added 22- Halil Parks scored 14- and- Oliver Megins added 11. The Falcons shot 48 percent from the field- 50 percent (17-34) from the 3-point line- and- 85 percent (11-13) at the free throw line.  The Falcons had 14 assists and 20 turnovers.
 Scarberry talked about the process this team is going thru:
" I thought we found a good groove in the first half when it came to offense. But they had one of their best shooting halves of the season. I think we just need to continue to grow and adapt to the things that happen in the game. We will be fine." Scarberry said."
  Koenig spoke about Scarberry as well:
"Drew has shot the ball very well of late. It is crazy how the basketball gods work. Drew has been screening for others to get himself open. We have been running some specific sets for him. As you know in basketball the screener is often the guy who gets open and that has been the case with Drew. He has been setting better screens which has been getting himself open." Koenig said."
  At the first media timeout the Cardinals held a slight 13-9 edge. They would then go on a 13-4 run that would make it 26-13  after a Wilson basket at the 10:41 mark of the opening half. After three consecutive 3-pointer's by Scarberry and another by Parks NDC would be within one (26-25) at the 9:10 mark of the first half. At the 5:17 mark the Falcons would knot the game at 41 on a free throw by Scarberry. The Cardinals would close the half on a 20-4 run and take a 61-45 lead into the half. The first half saw the Cardinals shoot 63 percent from the field- a red hot 77 percent (10-13) from the 3-point line- and- 93 percent (13-14) at the free throw line.  The Cardinals had 16 assists and six turnovers in the opening half. They won the rebounding battle 14-13.
  NDC shot 47 percent in the opening half- 50 percent (9-18) from the 3-point line- and- six of six at the free throw line.  The Falcons had six assists and 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
  The Cardinals would quickly extend the lead to 20 (67-47) early in the second half. The Falcons would run off the next eight points and be within 12 (67-55) after a Angelo Cugini basket at the 15:10 mark. Chris Greene would hit a 3-pointer and the Cardinals led 83-64 halfway thru the second half. NDC would get to within 12 twice but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way as the Cardinals remained perfect at home for the season.
 NDC will be back in action Saturday when they travel to Urbana. The Falcons and Blue Knights will tip at 4 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Scores Wednesday:
Fairmont State 91 Glenville State 70
Shepherd 63 West Virginia Wesleyan 58
West Virginia State 90 Virginia Wise 88
West Liberty 93 Urbana 73
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 11-0 (16-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 10-1 (14-2)
Fairmont State 9-2 (13-4)
Shepherd 7-4 (11-6)
West Virginia State 7-4 (9-7)
Charleston 5-5 (9-7)
Concord 5-5 (8-7)
UVa-Wise 4-7 (6-11)
NDC 2-9 (4-13)
Urbana 2-9 (3-13)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-9 (2-15)
Glenville State 1-10 (2-14)

NDC Readies For Rematch With #21 Wheeling Wednesday.

The Notre Dame College Falcons will meet the Cardinals of Wheeling Jesuit Wednesday at the McDonough Center. In the first meeting the Falcons fell 91-80 to Wheeling at Murphy Gym.
  NDC (4-12 2-8 MEC) is led by Kyauta Taylor who averages 19.2 points- 5.1 rebounds- and- 3.6 assists per contest. Halil Parks averages 13.5 points per night and Drew Scarberry nets 12.5 points per game as he shoots 42 percent from the field- 38 percent from the 3-point line.  Angelo Cugini averages 10.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
 The Falcons are coming off a pair of losses a week ago. They were a 91-88 loser to Shepherd- before losing 107-78 to Fairmont State at home Saturday. Taylor scored 24 and 19 points in the losses last week. Taylor scored 10 points in the loss to Wheeling back in November. Angelo Cugini scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the loss to Fairmont State Saturday. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting with Wheeling. Cole Hayes had a season high 17 points in the fist meeting with Wheeling and will see more minutes after the injury to Levi Frankland last week. The Falcons average 84.3 points a game as a team - while they give up 92.3. They are averaging 12.5 made 3-pointer's per game- while the opposition makes 10.5.  They also average 3.1 blocks a game, which is 1.2 better than the opposition.
  Taylor remains confident going into this one:
" We can beat this team. We just have to play our game and rebound the ball because they attack the glass hard." Taylor said."
 Jack Kelsheimer talks about a chance at redemption:
" It is always a big game when you get to go against one of the top ranked teams in the country. We have been looking forward to a rematch with these guys since they beat us on our home court earlier in the season." Kelsheimer said."
  Wheeling (13-2 9-1 MEC) comes into the game riding a five game win streak. The Cardinals are coming off a 86-72 win over Virginia Wise last time out. That after a narrow 69-67 win over Concord in the previous contest. Five Cardinals scored in double figures in the win over Virginia Wise. Haywood Highsmith led the way with 20 points- Pat Moesh scored 16- Preston Boswell added 13- Drake Goddard netted 12- and- Jeremiah Wilson scored 10 in the victory. In the game versus Concord four players scored in double digits. Moesh paced the Cards with 18- Boswell had 14- Highsmith 13- and- Wilson added 12. Highsmith and Wilson each recorded double digit rebounding efforts as well. Highsmith had 11- and- Wilson 14.
 Highsmith leads the season box score for the Cardinals averaging 21.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.  Moesh averages 17.3 points- 6.1 rebounds- and- 3.9 assists per game.  Boswell nets 16.8 points per game- and- Wilson averages 10.8 points per night. The Cardinals average 81.5 points per game- while they give up 69.9 per night. They are more than five rebounds per game better than the opposition (40.1 to 34.7)  The Cardinals are a perfect 6-0 at home on the season.
 The game is scheduled to tip at 730 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Games Wednesday:
Glenville State@Fairmont State
Charleston @Concord
West Virginia State @Virginia Wise
Urabana @West Liberty
West Virginia Wesleyan @Shepherd
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 10-0 (15-0)
Wheeling Jesuit 9-1 (13-2)
Fairmont State 8-2 (12-4)
Shepherd 6-4 (10-6)
West Virginia State 6-4 (8-7)
Charleston 5-5 (9-7)
Concord 5-5 (8-7)
Virginia Wise 4-6 (6-10)
NDC 2-8 (4-12)
Urabana 2-8 (3-12)
West Virginia Wesleyan 2-8 (2-14)
Glenville State 1-9 (2-13)

Fairmont State Rolls Past NDC Saturday.

The Notre Dame Falcons hung with the national runner up from last season for about the first 18 minutes of the contest before the Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State rolled to a 107-78 victory inside Murphy Gym on Saturday afternoon. With the win Fairmont State improved to 12-4 and 8-2 in the MEC. With the loss NDC fell to 4-12 and 2-8 in the MEC.
  Andrew Emrick led Fairmont State and all scorers with 27 points in this one. Cole VonHandorf added 15- RJ Hutcherson had 13- and- Caleb Davis netted 11. The Fighting Falcons shot 53 percent from the field- 38 percent (12-32) from the 3-point line- and 73 percent (11-15) at the free throw line. They had 18 assists and just five turnovers in this one.
  Kyauta Taylor led NDC with 19 points to go along with eight rebounds- and- four assists. Drew Scarberry scored 15- while Angelo Cugini added 14 points and a team high 14 rebounds. Halil Parks also scored in double figures with 11. NDC shot 41 percent as a team- 35 percent (10-29) from the 3-point line- and- 64 percent (14-22) at the free throw line.  The Falcons won the rebounding battle 45-38.  They had 13 assists and 18 turnovers in this one.
  NDC led 8-7 in the early going. It would be 20-13 in favor of the Fighting Falcons midway thru the opening stanza.  After NDC got it to single digits a couple times Fairmont would got a 3-pointer by D'Ondre Stockman to go up 37-26 with 3:47 in the half. It would briefly be cut to single digits but a strong finish to the half would give Fairmont a 50-35 halftime lead.
  Andrew Emrick led Fairmont with 17 in the opening half- RJ Hutcherson also scored 10 in the opening stanza.  Fairmont shot 57 percent in the opening 20 minutes- 43 percent from the 3-point line- and- 50 percent (2-4) from the free throw line. The Fighting Falcons had 10 assists and just one turnover in the first half.
  NDC was led by 12 points from Drew Scarberry in the first half- while Angelo Cugini led the team with eight rebounds in the half. The Falcons shot 36 percent from the floor- 25 percent (4-16) from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent (9-11) at the free throw line.  NDC won the rebounding battle 25-12 in the first half. They had five assists and 11 turnovers in the half.
  After NDC briefly cut the lead to 13 (53-40) on a Taylor 3-pointer Fairmont went on a 9-0 run to go up 22 (62-40.)  The Fighting Falcons would lead by as many as 30 and cruise to the victory.
  Tim Koenig spoke about his thoughts on the game today:
" Fairmont shot the ball very well today. They beat us several times  in transition and the turnovers really hurt us.  We have to get used to adapting to playing with some of the guys that we don't have. We need to finish possessions with rebounds and defend the paint better. They put a hurting on us today." Koenig said."
  NDC will be back in action Wednesday when they play at Wheeling Jesuit. Tip time is set for 730 PM. As always you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com

Fairmont State Comes To South Euclid Saturday.

The national runner up from a season ago Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State come to Murphy Gym Saturday for a 4 PM tip. As always you can catch the action on NotreDameFalcons.com with Andrew Luftglass on the call.
 NDC comes into the game 4-11 on the season and 2-7 in the MEC. Despite the record Drew Scarberry was very upbeat and looks forward to Saturday:
" I think we are facing a good team in Fairmont. They have multiple weapons and we are going to have to be on our A game. But I believe if we play as hard as we did against Shepherd then we will be fine. We are finally starting to come together as a band of brothers. We all believe in each other and look forward to the opportunity tomorrow." Scarberry said."
  The Falcons are coming off a 94-91 loss to Shepherd at home on Thursday night. KT Taylor led NDC with 24 points- Levi Frankland scored 18- while Halil Parks added 14- Angelo Cugini scored 13- and- Oliver Megins added 12. The Falcons shot 54 percent as a team- 46 percent from the 3-point line- and- 78 percent at the free throw line.  NDC won the rebounding battle 30-28. They had 15 assists and 11 turnovers.
 Shepherd was led by Derek McKnight with 23 points- Thomas Lang scored 16- Steffen Davis 15- while AJ Carr and Winston Burgess netted 13 points each.  The Rams shot 56 percent from the field- 46 percent from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent from the free throw line. They had 20 assists and just six turnovers.
  NDC is led in scoring by Taylor, who puts up 19.2 per contest- he also averages 4.9 rebounds- and- 3.7 assists a night.  Parks is scoring 13.7 per game- Scarberry 12.3 a night- and- Angelo Cugini averages 9.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
 The Falcons score 84.7 per game- while they give up 91.3 a contest. The Falcons are one of the top teams in all of Division II with 12.7 3-pointer's made per contest.  They also make 14.2 free throws per contest- as opposed to 12.6 for the opposition.
  The Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State (11-4 7-2 MEC) are coming off a 67-57 win over Urbana last time out.  Vonte Montgomery scored 16 points and had five rebounds.  Caleb Davis scored 15 and grabbed 14 rebounds- while Andrew Emrick scored 12.  Jason Jolly leads the Fighting Falcons in scoring at 17.1 per game- and just eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his career against Urbana. Montgomery, the Garfield Heights product averages 12.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a game- Davis puts up 11.6 a night- Emrick 10.9 ppg- and- D'Ondre Stockman (10.8 per contest.)  They average 86.5 a game- while they give up 80.3.
  NDC lost both meetings last season. First at home they were a 93-73 loser on 1/14. On 2/11 the Fighting Falcons were a 93-80 winner.
  NDC  will be back in action Wednesday when they take on Wheeling Jesuit on the road.
  Tip time is set for 730 PM.

Solid Effort Not Enough For NDC.

The Notre Dame College Falcons and Shepherd Rams treated everyone in Murphy Gym to a heck of a basketball game Thursday night. Ultimately it was the Rams who came away with the 94-91 win.
NDC coach Tim Koenig spoke about the contest:
" What did you guys think? Was that a good game? It was a solid effort by our guys especially on the offensive end." Koenig said."
 "We moved the ball well tonight. We had a couple of turnovers that turned into run-outs. One in particular that resulted in a right wing 3-pointer by Steffen Davis. McKnight really hurt us off the bench, but you can not take everything away from those guys. That is a really good team. They have won six in a row for a reason." Koenig said.
 Shepherd (9-6 5-4 MEC) had five players score in double figures in the game. McKnight led the way with 23 points in 23 minutes of action. Thomas Lang scored 16- Davis added 15- and- AJ Carr as well as Winston Burgess netted 13 points each.
 The Rams shot 56 percent as a team- 47 percent (15-32) from the 3-point line- and- 82 percent (9-11) at the free throw line.  The Rams had 20 assists and just six turnovers in the victory.
  NDC was led by Kyauta Taylor who drained six 3-pointers to score a game high 24 points- Levi Frankland added 16 of his 18 in the opening half- while Halil Parks had 14.  Angelo Cugini scored 13 and Oliver Megins added 12 in the losing effort.
  The Falcons shot 54 percent as a team- 46 percent (18-39) from the 3-point line.  The Falcons shot 78 percent (7-9) at the free throw line.  The Falcons won the rebounding battle 30-28.  They had 15 assists and 11 turnovers.
 NDC got off to a solid start in this one and led by six (15-9) at the first media time out.  The lead would be trimmed to two midway thru the opening stanza.  The Rams would then go on a run and lead by five (37-32) with 5:50 in the half.  At the half the Falcons would trail 49-48 after a Taylor basket late.  NDC was led by Frankland who knocked down five 3-pointer's and scored 16 points in the opening stanza. Taylor added 13.   The Falcons shot 58 percent in the opening half. This included shooting 50 percent (11-22) from the 3-point line.  They were just one of two at the free throw line.
 McKnight had 14 to lead the Rams in the opening 20 minutes. Burgess and Thomas Lang would add nine points each. The Rams shot 56 percent in the opening half- 47 percent (7-15) from the 3-point line.  They shot 80 percent (4-5) from the free throw line.
   The Rams would stretch the lead to seven (62-55) early in the second half after a Carr lay-up at the 14:39 mark.  NDC would pull to within two (67-65) after a Cole Hayes 3-pointer with 12:34 to go.  After NDC trimmed the lead to two once again the Rams would go back up seven (81-74) after a Davis 3-pointer at the 7:45 mark.  Down eight with 6:26 to go the Falcons would switch to a zone defense. After back to back 3-pointer's by Taylor NDC trailed 84-82 with 4:59 to go.  The Rams would go back up seven (91-84) with 2:39 to go before the Falcons answered.  A 3-pointer by Megins and a Parks hoop would cut the lead to 91-89 with 1:13 to go.  McKnight would split a pair of free throws and NDC would have a chance to tie it as for the second straight game Drew Scarberry was fouled on a 3-point attempt. This time with six seconds left and down three. Scarberry hit the first two but the third did not fall. Carr would make a pair for the Rams and NDC would have one last chance.
Koenig took you into the huddle:
" It is our side out of bounds play. We have run it and won a few games with the play. KT is the first option- then Drew is the second option- and- Oliie the third option. We won the game Saturday against Wesleyan with the same play. We won a game last year against Saint Augustine. We have had a lot of success with this play. " Koenig said."
  Taylor would get a look at the 3-pointer but it would be off the mark and NDC would fall.
" We really don't have much margin for error. We just needed one or two more stops to win this game, maybe one or two more made shots. We will get better. Our team is improving. " Koenig said."
NDC will be back in action Saturday when they take on Fairmont State at Murphy Gym. Tip time is set for 4 PM. You can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com

Home Sweet Home.

The Notre Dame College  Falcons return home and play a home contest at Murphy Gym for the first time since December 9th Thursday when they battle the Shepherd Rams at 730 PM. You can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com with Andrew Luftglass on the call.
 Drew Scarberry spoke of how excited he and his teammates are to return home:
" We are very excited! We are ready to be back in front of our home crowd. Can't wait for tomorrow." Scarberry said."
  NDC (4-10 2-6 MEC) comes into the game having won 79-78 last time out at West Virginia Wesleyan. Scarberry sank three free throws with three seconds left to secure the victory and snap the Falcons eight game losing skid.  Scarberry scored 18 points in the victory.  Kyauta Taylor led NDC with 23 points- Oliver Megins chipped in 14- and- the Falcons got a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) from Angelo Cugini. In the previous contest the Falcons were a 78-75 loser to Glenville State. Scarberry paced NDC with 20 points in that game.  Taylor scored 15- and- Megins added 12.
  Taylor is fifth in the MEC averaging 18.9 points a night- he also has 33 steals on the season which is tied for 17th in the country.  Halil Parks is averaging 13.6 points a game- while Scarberry scores 13.1 a contest. Scarberry shoots 39 percent from the 3-point line.  Cugini averages 9.5 points- and- 7.0 rebounds per contest.  The Falcons average 84.3 points a game- while they give up 91.1.  They are shooting at a 37 percent clip from the 3-point line.  The Falcons also get to the free throw line 14.7 times a night- as opposed to 12.9 for the opponent. The Falcons shoot 71 percent as a team from the free throw line.
  Shepherd (8-6 4-4 MEC) comes in red-hot having won five straight. The Rams were a 91-73 winner over Concord. Six Rams scored in double figures in that one.  Steffen Davis and Winston Burgess each scored 19- Burgess added 13 rebounds.  AJ Carr posted a 15 point and 11 rebound double-double.
 On January 6th the Rams beat Virginia Wise 85-71. Four of the five Rams starters scored in double figures.  Carr had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Burgess scored 19 in this one.  As a team the Rams shoot 48 percent from the field and average 80 points a game. They are holding teams to 42 percent shooting on the year on the defensive end.
  Carr leads the Rams average 17.1 points per game- and- a team leading 8.6 rebounds per night.  Davis scores 14.1 points per game- while Burgess adds 10.9 per contest.  The Rams are 1-3 on the road in conference play this season.
  The two teams met three times last season. Shepherd was victorious in all three contests.  On 1/16 the Rams got a Davis tip in to knock off the Falcons 78-77 at Murphy Gym. On 2/9 the Rams were a 67-60 winner at home. Then on 3/3 the Rams ended the Falcons season with a 71-68 victory at the Charleston Civic Center in the MEC Tournament Quarterfinals.
  NDC will remain home Saturday when they will take on Fairmont State. Tip time is set for 4 PM at Murphy Gym and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com

Scarberry's Three Free Throws Lift NDC To Victory!

Down five with under a minute to go the Notre Dame College Falcons rallied and after three Drew Scarberry free throws with three seconds left stunned the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats 79-78.
Coach Tim Koenig spoke about how it was nice to finally get a result to go the way of NDC:
" We haven't seen the results we would have liked and this losing streak definitely weighed on a lot of people. This team has competed the whole time, every one of them has worked their tails off in practice and we have stayed the course. It is nice to finally get one in the old W column. "Koenig said."
  NDC (4-10 2-6 MEC) was led by Kyauta Taylor with 23 points- Drew Scarberry netted 18 including the game winning free throws- Oliver Megins had 14- and- Angelo Cugini posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Falcons shot 43 percent as a team- 46 percent (13-28) from the 3-point line- and- 80 percent (12-15) from the free throw line. The Falcons had 16 assists and just six turnovers in the victory today.
  The Bobcats (1-14 1-7 MEC) were led by Dusan Vicentic with 27 points- Aaron Ariri aded 19 points and 11 rebounds- while Fred Brondstedt scored 11. The Bobcats shot 62 percent in this one- but just 50 percent (7-14) from the free throw line. The Bobcats won the rebounding battle 32-29. They had 26 assists and 12 turnovers as a team.
 The game saw 10 ties and six lead changes. The Falcons got off to a decent start and led 11-8 at the first media timeout. The Bobcats would score the next eight points and then after Ariri hit a jumper for the Bobcats the game was knotted at 18 with 9:34 in the opening half. It would stay close for the rest of the opening stanza and the Bobcats would take a 31-30 lead into the locker room.
  The Falcons were led by nine points from Taylor- and- six each from Scarberry and Megins in the opening half. They shot 39 percent as a team in the half- and- 46 percent (5-11) from the 3-point line. NDC was 1 of 2 at the free throw line in the opening stanza. They had six assists and four turnovers in the opening half.
  The Bobcats were paced by 12 points from Vicentic in the opening half. They shot 52 percent as a team- and- 40 percent (2-5) from the 3-point line. They were 1-3 at the free throw line. The Bobcats had a 19-15 edge on the boards in the first 20 minutes. They had 11 assists and six turnovers as a team.
   The second half began much like the first did and the Falcons knotted the game at 41 after a Taylor 3-pointer with 14:27 to go. Cugini would nail a 3-pointer just past the halfway mark of the half and the game would again be knotted at 52. Megins would drill a 3-pointer at the five minute mark and the game would be tied again this time at 66. The Falcons would take a brief lead but the Bobcats would respond and after a jumper by Kam Cooper it was a 76-71 lead with 1:10 to go. Cugini would hit a pair of free throws and after a defensive stop by the Falcons Scarberry would drain a 3-pointer that tied it at 76 with 29 seconds. A pair of Ariri free throws would give the Bobcats the lead back with 25 seconds.  Then on the next trip a Scarberry foul would put put Nick Brooks at the line where he would miss the front end of a one and one. Taylor grabbed the rebound for NDC and they would have the ball late. Scarberry was fouled by Petrovic and would calmly knock down all three free throws with three seconds left and the Falcons would escape with a victory.
Koenig was not surprised at all:
" Drew has always wanted to take the big shot. He has always wanted to be the guy with the ball in his hands at the end. No other guy I would rather have at the line in that spot but him." Koenig said.
 On the game and season Angelo Cugini has had:
" Angelo is a hard nosed guy. Does a lot of things that don't show up in the box score. He is such a hard nosed kid that he broke his nose earlier in the season and has played thru it. He gets treatment on his back everyday but he is just a tough guy." Koenig said."
 Another thing about Angelo is the two free throws he hit late in the game:
" Angelo has worked real hard on free throw shooting of late. He is taking extra free throws everyday and is finally starting to get some results. " Koenig said."
 He also spoke about Taylor and Megins:
" KT looked like himself today for the first time since he got hurt. He is a leader and has gone from being the number two option to our go to guy since the season began. Ollie has gone from being a complimentary piece to one of our main guys this season as well." Koenig said."
  Koenig spoke about only having six turnovers today:
" We only had six turnovers today, I did not not know that. It is a beautiful thing isn't it." Koenig said."
About the Bobcats big men:
" Those two big guys are really good. We did a good job of boxing out today." Koenig said."
Scarberry summed it up by saying:
" We really found a way to pull this one out. Great job all the way around." Scarberry said."
 KT Taylor mentioned:
" This was a great win for us. We fought through adversity." Taylor said."
Jack Kelsheimer summed it up best:
" The bench was rocking tonight. We just found a way." Kelsheimer said."
Koenig spoke about finally having a home game (for the first time since December 9th:)
" It will be nice to get back on our home floor. I feel like we have been on buses and vans forever. It is crazy. "Koenig said."
NDC will be back in action Thursday when they return home to face Shepherd. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com

Road Warriors!

The Notre Dame College Falcons take on the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon in Buckhannon, West Virginia. After the game the Falcons will head home where they have not had a home contest since December 9th. You can catch all the Falcons action on NotreDameFalcons.com. Tip time is set for 4 PM at the Rockefeller Center.
Jack Kelsheimer talked about getting back home after this one:
" It has been a while since we have played a home game and we can't wait to get back. It's always tough to win on the road, especially in our conference. It will be nice to get back on our home court. " Kelsheimer said."
  NDC (3-10 1-6 MEC) comes into the game having lost eight straight. Last time out they were a 82-79 loser to Glenville State as a furious rally came up three points short. Three NDC players scored in double figures in the loss Thursday. Drew Scarberry paced NDC with six 3-pointer's en route to a 20-point contest- Kyauta Taylor added 15- and- Oliver Megins added 12 in the defeat. The Falcons shot 39 percent from the floor- and- 38 percent (14-37) from the 3-point line. They shot 59 percent (17-29) from the free throw line and were out-rebounded 43-37. They had 12 assists and nine turnovers.
  Kyauta Taylor leads the Falcons in scoring at 18.5 points per game. He also adds 5.3 rebounds- and- 4.1 assists per night. Halil Parks is second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game- and- averages four rebounds a contest. Drew Scarberry scores 12.7 points per game and shoots 38 percent from the 3-point line. Angelo Cugini is averaging 6.8 rebounds per night to go along with 9.3 points. NDC averages 84.7 points a game as a team- while they give up 92.1 per night. The Falcons are one of the top teams in the conference in 3-pointer's made at 12.2 per contest. NDC averages 3.5 blocks a game as a team as well.
 The Bobcats (1-12 1-6 MEC) like the Falcons come into the game struggling. They are on a four game losing slide. Last time out they lost to Urbana after losing to Anderson Braoddus in the previous contest. The Bobcats score the least amount of points a game in the conference at 65.1 per night. Aaron Ariri is grabbing 7.8 rebounds a game which is good for sixth in the conference. The Bobcats have been a strong rebounding team all season long as they average 34 rebounds a game as a team. They shoot just 43 percent from the floor as a team- and- 29 percent from the 3-point line.  The Bobcats lone win was 71-70 over Virginia Wise on 12/6.
 Something has to give Saturday as the Bobcats have not won a game at home this season- while the Falcons have yet to pick up a road win. The two teams split last season. The Falcons winning 79-65 in South Euclid on January 5th. While the Bobcats won 99-72 on January 26th on there home floor.

NDC Furious Rally Falls Short Thursday.

The Notre Dame Falcons were down by 11 points with 5:24 seconds to go, got to within a point in the final minute but ultimately fell 82-79 at the Waco Center on the campus of Glenville State College on Thursday night. With the loss NDC has now dropped eight straight and fell to 3-10 on the season and 1-6 in the MEC. With the victory Glenville State won consecutive games for the first time this season after starting 0-10. The Pioneers are now 2-10 and 1-6 in the MEC.
  The Falcons were led by Drew Scarberry who scored all 20 of his points in the second half. Coach Tim Koenig talked about the adjustment that was made to get Scarberry going:
" We made a conscious effort to get Drew involved in more down screen action both on and off the ball. He hit some transition 3's which is the best time for a guy to get going when a defense is not set. " Koenig said."
  KT Taylor scored 15 points and Oliver Megins added 12 for NDC in the losing effort. Asked if he saw anything different from GSC that he had not seen from any other team defensively, Taylor mentioned no he did not.
 Koenig spoke about Taylor and Parks having a off night offensively:
" It was just one of those nights for Halil and KT tonight. They missed free throws which rarely happens. Nobody is defending you at the free throw line." Koenig said."
 "They had  a lot of help on ball screens versus KT and HP as well. "Koenig added."
  The Falcons shot 39 percent as a team in the defeat. They shot 38 percent (14-37) from the 3-point line.  They shot just 59 percent (17-29) from the free throw line. The Falcons had 12 assists and nine turnovers.
  Jon Dunmyer had 19 points to lead the Pioneers.  Darhius Nunn netted 15- and- Elisha Mayberry added 13 for Glenville State.  They shot 46 percent as a team and 40 percent (10-25) from the 3-point line.  The Pioneers shot 75 percent at the free throw line (12-16.)  They won the rebounding battle 43-37.  The Pioneers had 16 assists and eight turnovers.
   The game started off close as the Pioneers would lead 9-7 at the first media time out.  After a Cole Hayes dunk after a break away at the 11:09 mark of the opening half we were tied at 13.  After a 4-point play by Taylor and another Hayes basket the Falcons led 20-15 at the 7:57 mark of the first half.  It would be 37-33 in favor of the Pioneers at the half.
 Cole Hayes led NDC with seven points in the opening half. Taylor added six- and- Megins added five. The Falcons only shot 36 percent from the field- and- 29 percent (5-17) from the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes. They shot 67 percent (6-9) from the free throw line.
  Dwayne Chastain led the Pioneers with eight in the opening stanza. Jon Dunmyer and Darhius Nunn added seven each. They shot 42 percent as a team in the opening half. This included 38 percent (6-16) from the 3-point line.  They won the rebounding battle 23-18 in the first 20 minutes.
  The Falcons would get to within one (41-40) just over two minutes into the half. At the 13:47 mark the Pioneers led by 14 (57-43.)  At the 5:24 mark it would be 71-60 in favor of the Pioneers. After a pair of Angelo Cugini free throws at the 1:44 mark the Falcons were within two (75-73.) Andrew Johnson would nail a big 3-pointer at the 1:19 mark to stretch the lead to five. The Falcons would get to within one on a pair of trips, the last being after a Megins basket with 25 seconds to go.  Mayberry would hit two free throws with 18 seconds and the Falcons would have one last gasp. Koenig talked about what they drew up:
" We had a side ball screen with KT on top and Angelo on the back side to clean up any misses. HP did not attack as hard as we would have liked him to. We dribbled the ball to much in that possession. That being said Ollie had a clean look at a 3-pointer and chose to shot fake, he did get a look at a 3 all be it highly contested. " Koenig said."
 The shot did not fall and the Falcons rally fell short.
Scarberry spoke about the fight in this group:
" I am very proud of the way we pulled together and battled back in the second half after a tough start in the first half.  We got out-hustled in the 50-50 balls and couldn't get some free throws to drop but that happens. We just have to stay the course, trust ourselves and come back Saturday ready to get a win. " Scarberry said."
  Koenig talked about the difference in the game:
"The difference in this one was they made free throws and layups. We missed some key free throws and layups" Koenig said."
  Koenig did see some improvement over some parts of the first half of the season though:
" We made the extra pass better. We kept the ball out of the paint better. It was a hell of an effort tonight. We just fell short. " Koenig said."
  Taylor spoke about what needs to improve for the Falcons to break this losing slide:
" We need to have better help defense because that will prevent more fouls from happening. We need to finish defensive possessions with rebounds, and we can't be one and done on offense. "Taylor mentioned."
  NDC will be back in action Saturday when they continue the West Virginia road swing with a game against West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time is set for 4 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com

Pair Of Struggling Teams Battle To Open Calendar Year.

A pair of struggling teams will get together Thursday night when the Notre Dame College Falcons take on the Pioneers of Glenville State at the Waco Center. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com.
  NDC comes in having lost seven straight and at 3-9 on the season. They sit at 1-5 in the MEC. Having lost five straight conference games after beating Concord in the first conference game and the home opener. The Falcons come into the game averaging 85.2 points per game- while they give up 92.9 per contest. The game will be the Falcons first since a pair of losses in Erie,Pa. A 88-63 loss to Gannon on 12/19 and a 86-77 loss to MercyHurst on 12/16.
  Kyauta Taylor leads the Falcons in scoring at 18.8 points per game on the season.  Halil Parks has had a solid freshman season and has played himself into big minutes of late. He averages 15 points per night on the year- while Drew Scarberry looks to regain his 3-point stroke from a season ago. Scarberry averages 12.1 points per game and is shooting 37 percent from the 3-point line for the season.
 Glenville State is 1-10 on the season and is coming off the team's first win of the season when Dwayne Chastain Jr. nailed a 3-pointer to knock off Salem 76-75 on Sunday.  The Pioneers saw 11 of the 12 players who saw action score in the victory on Sunday.
 GSU averages 73.3 points per game as a team- while they give up 87.6 per contest. The Pioneers get out-rebounded by more than five rebounds per contest.  They average 2.9 blocks a nights- as opposed to 2.5 per game for the opposition.
  Individually Darhius Nunn paces the Pioneers at 20.4 points per contest.  Brooks Elly is the only other Pioneer who averages double figures, putting up 10.1 points per night.  Jon Dunnmyer scores 8.5 points a game as well for GSU.  Elly leads the team in rebounding at 5.7 per night- while Nunn leads the team in assists at more than four per game.
  The Falcons took both meetings last season. The first one was a 97-93 win at home. While they also scored a 84-76 win on 1/28 at GSU.
 The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they head to Buckhannon, West Virginia to battle the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan. You can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com