The Notre Dame College Falcons had not won a road game going into Wednesday night's contest at the McDonnell Center on the campus of Davis& Elkins. They used an 11-0 run in the final 2:07 of this one to secure a 74-63 victory. "Gritty over pretty wins on the road, "Head Coach Mark Richmond exclaimed. "We found a way to grind it out in a game where some things didn't go our way and we didn't shoot the ball great."
With the win NDC improves to 4-4 and 3-2 in the MEC. D&E drops to 6-3 and 2-3 in the MEC after the loss.
The two teams went back and forth in the early going. After an Andre Harris bucket at the 13:02 mark of the opening half NDC would trail 13-12. The Senators lead would be stretched to seven (23-16) after an Evan Busby layup. NDC would come back and tie the game at 26 as Harris knocked down a 3-pointer. Jaedon Willis would put the Falcons on top 28-26 on a little floater at the 4:19 mark of the opening stanza. The Falcons would take a 34-33 lead into the locker room.
Lee talked about the team getting off to a better start tonight and being aggressive:
"As a team we always talk about how we need to start off strong, especially in away games. Dre (Harris) and I were aggressive early and we focused on bringing energy on both ends because that's what this team builds on. So once it started in the beginning it was hard for the other team to stop."
As a team NDC shot 44.1 percent in the first half, 10 percent (1-10) from the 3-point line, and 37.5 percent (3-8) from the free throw line.
The Senators shot 43.8 percent in the first 20 minutes, 30.8 percent (4-13) from the 3-point line, and 20 percent (1-5) from the free throw line.
After D& E tied the game at 34 Lee knocked down a triple to put the Falcons back on top. The Senators would battle back and take a 45-41 advantage after a Vadim Clanet layup with 14:58 on the clock. D& E kept the lead until a pair of Jamarr Talbert free throws knotted it at 51 with 7:45 remaining. A Gbolahan Adio layup gave NDC the lead but Sam Rolle tied it at 53 on the ensuing possession. A Talbert triple would give the Falcons a 56-53 lead at the 6:02 mark. After a Rolle layup Harris stretched the NDC lead back to three (58-55) with 5:19 to go. Rolle would hit back to back buckets to put D& E back on top a little over a minute later. An Obinna Ugwuakazi layup at the 3:59 mark would give the Falcons the lead back. A Clanet jumper at the 3:38 mark put the Senators back on top as we continued on the see-saw (61-60.) That field goal would be the last of the contest for the Senators. An Adio triple at the 2:36 mark gave NDC a lead that they would not relinquish. Rolle hit a pair of free throws to tie it at 63 with 2:07 to go. Those would be the last two points D& E would score in the game. A Lee 3-pointer put NDC on top for good with 1:49 on the clock.
Lee talked about that play:
"My three wasn't falling throughout the game but it still felt good so I stayed ready, and I knew if I was open it was going in."
After another stop by the Falcons defense Harris hit the 3-pointer that made it a six point game (69-63) with 1:11 on the clock. The Falcons would then ice this one at the free throw line.
NDC had four players score in double figures in the contest. Harris and Lee each tallied 18, Harris also added 10 rebounds. They also got 10 points each from Willis and Adio. As a team NDC shot 42.4 percent from the field, 24 percent (6-25) from the 3-point line, and 63.2 percent (12-19) at the free throw line. They had 14 assists and 14 turnovers in this one.
Richmond talked about it afterwards:
"Really proud of our group tonight. Super gutsy effort on the road against a really good team."
Willis gave his thoughts:
"Real team win tonight, "Willis mentioned. "Everyone contributed and we did whatever it took to win tonight which was needed.I think you will see a great performance on Saturday from us."
D& E was paced by Rolle with 19, Clanet added 17, And Busby netted 10. The Senators shot 42.2percent from the field, 21.1 percent (4-19) from the 3-point line, and 45.5 percent (5-11) at the free throw line. The Senators won the rebounding battle 42-41. They had 11 assists and 17 turnovers in the contest.
NDC will be back in action Saturday when West Virginia Wesleyan comes to South Euclid. Tip time from Murphy Gym is slated for 4 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Concord 86 Fairmont State 83 (Tuesday)
Glenville State 91 Frostburg State 88
West Liberty 98 Charleston 81
West Virginia State 92 Wheeling 84
Alderson Broaddus 78 West Virginia Wesleyan 62
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 5-0 (8-0)
West Virginia State 5-0 (8-0)
Fairmont State 3-2 (5-2)
Concord 3-2 (6-3)
NDC 3-2 (4-4)
Charleston 2-3 (4-5)
Davis& Elkins 2-3 (6-3)
Glenville State 2-3 (5-4)
Alderson Broaddus 2-3 (2-6)
Frostburg State 1-4 (3-6)
West Virginia Wesleyan 1-4 (1-7)
Wheeling 0-5 (1-7)
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