The Notre Dame College Falcons and Salem University Tigers were locked in a good one at T.Edward Davis Gymnasium on Saturday. In a game that featured eight ties and 16 lead changes NDC came away with the 86-77 win. With the win NDC improves to 9-8 and 4-7 in the MEC. The Tigers fall to 5-13 following the defeat.
"Our three point shooting was the difference against Salem. We made the extra pass and got good looks. 23 offensive rebounds was key but we didn't do a great job converting them. We got some timely stops late on the defensive end and that really helped us extend the lead," NDC head coach Mark Richmond explained.
junior Josh Dames got NDC on the board as Salem was assessed a technical foul prior to tipoff. The next four points went to the Tigers but NDC tied it by way of a triple by senior Trent Williams. Salem opened up a 15-7 lead on an Ian Hardy layup at the 16:26 mark of the first half. NDC would then get a spark off the bench from freshman Robbie Cass. They would go on a 13-0 run powered by a pair of Cass triples that gave them the lead. Junior Jamarr Talbert hit one from long range and a free throw by redshirt sophomore Devin Haid gave the Falcons a 20-15 lead at the 12:04 mark of the first half. The next seven points went to SU as a triple by Khemanni Davis made it 22-20 Tigers at the 10:40 mark until halftime. A Cass jumper would tie the game and Haid would split a pair of free throws at the 9:55 mark of the half to put NDC up 23-22. After a Hardy dunk for the Tigers NDC went on a 7-0 run capped by a Andre Harris layup at the 8:10 mark that gave NDC a 30-24 advantage. The Falcons led by eight (37-29) with 4:37 in the half on a bucket by freshman Gio Moore. The Tigers would close the half on a 12-2 run and took a 41-39 lead into the locker room. Cass led the Falcons with 10 in the opening stanza while Williams and Harris each had six. NDC shot 36.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent (7-16) from the 3-point line, 66.7 percent (8-12) from the free throw line and had a 24-14 edge on the boards in the first 20 minutes. The Falcons had nine assists and eight turnovers in the half.
Salem was led by Hardy with nine while Jack Garrison and Barley Kapone each had eight in the opening stanza. The Tigers shot 51.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent (5-13) from the 3-point line, and 66.7 percent (4-6) from the free throw line in the opening half. They had four assists and six turnovers in the stanza.
Brandon Francois scored the first basket of the half but NDC's hot shooting from long range continued. They got a pair of triples by Cass and one by Talbert to go up 48-45 with 17:39 to go. The next five points went to the Tigers but Talbert hit another 3-ball to make it 51-50 NDC. Garrison put the Tigers on top with a three of his own but Williams gave the Falcons a 54-53 lead with 15:15 on the clock as he knocked down another 3-ball. The teams went back and forth until Salem knotted the game at 60 on a Francois layup with 11:33 to go. NDC would go on a 9-1 run capped by a Williams triple at the 8:08 mark as they led 69-61. After a Hardy layup Talbert connected again from long range to stretch the Falcons lead to nine (72-63.) The Tigers got to within four (72-68) before Dames hit a pair of free throws and Haid would bury a 3-pointer. NDC would lead by as many as 12 and come away with the nine point win.
Cass led the way with a career high 16 points, Talbert knocked down five triples on his way to a season high 15, Williams hit four 3-pointer's to tally 14 points, Dames had 11 points and a season high 11 rebounds, while Harris had 10. As a team NDC shot 37 percent from the floor, 16-35 (45.7 percent) from the 3-point line, and 69.6 percent (16-23) at the free throw line. NDC won the rebounding battle 49-36. They had 16 assists and 14 turnovers in the contest.
For the Tigers they were led by 25 points from Kapone, Hardy had 14 and nine rebounds, Garrison added 13, and Francois notched 11. As a team the Tigers shot 48.3 percent from the field, 35 percent (7-20) from the 3-point line and 52.2 percent (12-23) at the free throw line. They had seven assists and 17 turnovers in the contest.
"We have been preaching it from the start of the year and are slowly starting to figure out everyone's strong suits. Have to continue to play together and get each other open. Robbie and Mar (Talbert) stay in the gym so I'm not surprised by their performance tonight. They have just been waiting on there moments,"Williams explained.
"Wasn't the best night for me but my teammates were great. Shout out to Rob (Cass,) Mar (Talbert) and Trent (Williams.) I was just doing what I could to help impact the game and help us win," Dames added.
Talbert gave the final thoughts on this one:
"I've been feeling more confident each game. My teammates have been finding me and I'm capitalizing on my opportunities.
NDC will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to Buckhannon to take on West Virginia Wesleyan. Tip time is slated for 7:30 PM.
Other MEC Scores Saturday:
Davis & Elkins 79 West Virginia Wesleyan 58
West Virginia State 82 Charleston 75
Fairmont State 97 Frostburg State 73
Concord 101 Glenville State 79
West Liberty 123 Wheeling 76
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 9-1 (15-3)
Charleston 9-2 (14-3)
West Virginia State 8-3 (12-5)
Fairmont State 7-4 (14-4)
Concord 7-4 (11-4)
Davis & Elkins 6-5 (10-8)
Glenville State 5-6 (9-9)
NDC 4-7 (9-8)
Wheeling 2-9 (5-12)
Frostburg State 2-9 (2-16)
West Virginia Wesleyan 1-10 (2-16)
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