For the second straight game the Notre Dame College Falcons found themselves in a dog fight with a Mountain East Conference foe. Redshirt sophomore Javontae Jones hit a 30 footer with .2 second left to send the game into overtime but the Falcons ultimately fell 93-83 to the Concord Mountain Lions at the Carter Center.
"Proud of our effort. We weren't able to get a few key stops late," NDC head Coach Mark Richmond said postgame.
NDC (2-4 1-3 MEC) got 20 points, 10 rebounds, and a career high four blocks from redshirt sophomore Devon Haid. Redshirt junior Andre Harris had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Redshirt sophomore Jevontae Jones provided 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists off the Falcons bench.
Concord (6-1 2-1 MEC) was paced by Jevon Laidler who had a career high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds, five assists, and a pair of blocks. Kollin Tolbert added 15 points and seven rebounds, Rene Diop added 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordan Wooden tallied 10.
The Falcons jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the games first two minutes. Freshman Robbie Cass knocked down a triple and Devon Haid hit a jumper early. The Mountain Lions responded with the next 10 points as Wooden gave them a five point advantage 10-5 5:30 minutes in. NDC then went on a 7-0 run as Haid tied the game with a triple and freshman Cameron Johnson made it 12-10 NDC with 12:02 left in the first half. After a Tolbert layup Kaleb Torrence and Laidler traded 3-pointer's. A 9-0 run by Concord put the home team up 24-15 after a Wooden layup with 7:15 in the opening half. CU led 28-22 at the 5:42 mark until halftime when Harris and Jones each scored to get NDC to within a pair. After a Diop layup NDC went on a 6-0 run as Haid gave the Falcons a 32-30 lead with 1:08 left in the half. Wooden hit a 3-ball but Harris would answer with a triple of his own as the Falcons took a 35-33 lead into the locker room.
Haid led the Falcons with nine points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes, Harris added seven, while Cass had six and Jones netted four. NDC shot 40.4 percent from the floor in the first half, they shot 5-11 (45.5 percent from the 3-point line) and were a perfect 2-2 at the free throw line. NDC had six assists and one turnover in the opening stanza.
For the Mountain Lions Laidler led the way with 10 in the opening half, Wooden added seven, and Diop had six. All three players tallied four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. CU shot 35.5 percent from the field, 30 percent (3-10) from the 3-point line and 2-2 from the free throw line in the half. They had five assists and four turnovers in the stanza. Concord also led 26-18 on the glass in the half.
The Mountain Lions took the lead early in the second half by three before RJ Ogom tied it with a triple at the 17:06 mark. The lead was four but NDC erased that quickly as they retook the lead 47-46 on a 3-pointer by senior Trent Williams three minutes later. After a Georges Archer basket NDC went back on top as Kaleb Torrence hit his second triple of the day. Jones and Haid scored to put the Falcons up six (54-48) with 10:28 on the clock. A Williams hoop in the paint made it 58-53 NDC with 9:17 to go. After Concord split a pair of free throws Haid stretched the lead to six next time down. The next six points went to the Mountain Lions as Aydon Ince scored to knot the game at 60 with under six minutes to go. Haid and Cass each had triples and NDC led 66-62 with 4:51 on the clock. Harris scored after a pair of Corey Boston free throws and it was 68-64 NDC with four minutes left in regulation. The next four points went to the Mountain Lions and we were knotted at 68. Gbolahan Adio gave NDC the lead but Concord tied it at 70 with 2:08 in regulation. Williams and Tolbert would trade buckets and we would be tied once again. Concord went on top 75-72 after a Ince 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation. With only two team fouls Concord fouled on the initial inbounds. Then it was Jones burying a 30 footer to tie this game and send it to overtime with .2 seconds on the clock.
Laidler hit a pair of free throws and a layup as the Mountain Lions never looked back in the extra session. An Adio layup got NDC within two (79-77) but a 5-0 run put CU in control. Haid hit a jumper with 1:30 to go to get NDC within four (85-81) but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way.
NDC shot 42 percent from the field, 33 percent (11-33) from the 3-point line,and 66.7 percent (4-6) at the free throw line in the contest. NDC had 14 assists and nine turnovers in the loss.
The Mountain Lions shot 43.8 percent from the field, 31.3 percent (5-16) from the 3-point line, and 69 percent (18-26) at the free throw line in the contest. The Mountain Lions dominated the rebounding battle 58-41. They had 14 assists and 12 turnovers in this one.
The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes. Concord was +16 (52-36) on points in the paint. They also had 21 offensive rebounds to the Falcons 11.
The Falcons will hit the road once again on Wednesday when they head to Elkins, West Virginia to take on the Davis & Elkins College Senators. Tip time is set for 7:30 PM.
Other MEC Scores:
Wheeling 102 West Virginia Wesleyan 92
Charleston 77 Fairmont State 72
West Virginia State 85 Frostburg State 56
Glenville State 73 Salem 65
West Liberty 91 Davis & Elkins 85
MEC Standings:
Charleston 4-0 (5-1)
West Liberty 3-0 (7-0)
Davis & Elkins 3-1 (5-3)
Concord 2-1 (6-1)
Glenville State 2-1 (4-3)
West Virginia State 2-2 (4-3)
Wheeling 1-2 (3-4)
Fairmont State 1-3 (4-3)
NDC 1-3 (2-4)
Frostburg State 1-3 (1-8)
West Virginia Wesleyan 0-4 (1-7)
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