The Notre Dame College Falcons close out the 2018-19 regular season with a trip to Urbana on Saturday afternoon. Tip time is set for 4 PM at the Grimes Center, and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
NDC (19-8 15-6 MEC) looks to snap a brief two game losing slide when they face the Blue Knights. Last time out they were a 99-98 loser to seventh ranked West Liberty at the ASRC. With a win Saturday the Falcons secure the number three seed in next weekend's MEC Tournament- with a loss they could fall to fourth.
Drew Scarberry talked about Saturday being a must win game:
" It's a must win. Even though it's not the tournament we have to treat it like a tournament game. We must survive and advance." Scarberry said.
Bruce Hodges agreed:
" Biggest game of the year. It goes into the tournament seeding- and- we must win tomorrow, and I believe it will show us who and where we are as a team." Hodges added.
Will Vorhees led NDC with 30 points- and- 13 rebounds in the loss to West Liberty. It was the ninth straight game that the redshirt senior from Lima has scored at least 30 points in a contest. Drew Scarberry knocked down eight 3-pointer's on his way to 29 points in the defeat as well. Larenz Thurman added 23 points- and- five assists in the game. NDC shot 50 percent from the field in the game. They shot 50 percent (14-28) from the 3-point line- and- 71 percent (20-28) from the free throw line.
NDC is fourth in the MEC in scoring putting up 87.3 points per game on the offensive end, while defensively they allow a league fifth best 79.7 per night. The Falcons are first in field goal percentage defense in the conference. They are third in the league in free throw percentage (78 perecent) as well. On the glass NDC is third in the conference grabbing five more rebounds per game than the opposition (39.8-34.8.) They are averaging more than an assist per game more than the opponent (15.4- 14.0.) NDC is averaging 3.2 blocks per night as a team. That is 1.3 more than the opposition.
Vorhees leads NDC and is second in the MEC in scoring at 28.5 points per game. He leads the conference in rebounding at 11.3 rebounds per night. Vorhees is also second in the league in blocked shots averaging 1.4 blocks per night. Thurman is scoring 17.8 per contest. He is second in the league in assists at 5.2 per game- as well as 3-point percentage where he shoots 46 percent. Isaiah Sanders averages 11.3 points per game. The freshman is 10th in the MEC shooting at a 83 percent clip from the free throw line. Scarberry has caught fire from the 3-point line of late and is putting up 10.3 points per game. Scarberry is ninth in the MEC in 3-pointer's made on the season. Hodges is seventh in the MEC in steals. In the first meeting NDC was a 100-72 winner over Urbana.
Koenig talked about the rematch Saturday:
" Nick (Dials) will always have his guys playing hard. They are not the most talented team in the league but they can steal one if you don't play well as Fairmont State and Wheeling learned. They were without there big man (Matt Treacy) in the first meeting with us so that is one big thing that has changed. We look forward to the opportunity tomorrow and our guys are chomping at the bit to get back out there."Koenig stated.
Urbana (6-19 4-17 MEC) is coming off a 95-93 win over Wheeling Jesuit on Wednesday night. Ethan Snapp paced the Blue Knights with 22 points, while Malik Jacobs added 21. Mike Ryan netted 17- Jordan Bradley scored 13- and- Datrey Long tallied 10 as the Blue Knights snapped there 11 game losing streak. They shot 52 percent from the field as a team- 43 percent (13-30) from the 3-point line- and- 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line. Urbana won the rebounding battle 40-33.
The Blue Knights are paced by Jacobs who scores 15.7 points per night and grabs a team leading 6.6 rebounds per contest. Snapp is putting up 14 points per game and is leading the MEC shooting at a 52 percent clip from the 3-point line. Treacy is putting up 12.6 points per contest- and- Long nets 11.9 per game. The Blue Knights average 79.3 per game on offense, while defensively they give up 88 points per contest.
Other MEC Games Saturday:
Shepherd @ Fairmont State
Charleston @ West Virginia State
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Glenville State
Concord @ Virginia Wise
West Liberty@ Wheeling Jesuit
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 19-2 (23-3)
Fairmont State 17-4 (20-7)
NDC 15-6 (19-8)
Charleston 14-7 (19-8)
Concord 13-8 (18-9)
Shepherd 9-12 (13-14)
West Virginia State 9-12 (12-15)
West Virginia Wesleyan 7-14 (10-17)
Wheeling Jesuit 7-14 (8-19)
Glenville State 6-15 (11-16)
Virginis Wise 6-15 ( 9-18)
Urbana 4-17 (6-19)
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