All five Notre Dame College Falcons scored in double figures, Obinna Ugwuakazi scored a team high and career high 22 points and pulled down 19 rebounds which is tied for third in MEC Tournament history and tied for fifth in NDC program history as the Falcons stung the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets 92-79 in the MEC Quarterfinals at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. NDC improves to 17-12 on the season, while WVSU fell to 20-9 after the defeat.
" I'm proud of our guys. It was a balanced effort. Obi (Ugwuakazi) obviously had a huge impact with 22 and 19. I thought Tyland (Crawford) was really big, he hit some big shots early in the second half and they weren't able to overcome it,"NDC head coach Mark Richmond said.
"As of late I've been playing better, I've been getting minutes and I'm doing whatever it takes to help the team win. I'm going after every rebound, every board. I expect a miss. I think it's coming off every time, "Ugwuakazi explained.
"We were really sharing the ball early and that was the biggest key to set the tone. We were in rhythm. When I was open coach said just release it and play loose and that's what I did today, "Crawford stated.
Joining Ugwuakazi in double figures were Crawford (19 points and eight rebounds,) Jaedon Willis who tallied 17, DeAirius Barker added 13 points and seven assists, and Jamarr Talbert had 12.
The Yellow Jackets were led by Samier Kinsler with 22, while the trio of Taevon Horton, Noah Jordan, and Anthony Pittman all had 12. Pittman led the Yellow Jackets with nine rebounds.
Kinsler scored the first bucket of the game but Talbert would answer with a three of his own for the Falcons. Kinsler knocked down a 3-ball to make it 5-3 WVSU but that would be the last lead they would hold in the contest. NDC would go on a 19-5 run to take a 22-10 lead as Gbolahan Adio made a layup after an offensive rebound by Crawford with 9:23 in the opening half. WVSU would get to within five (25-20) at the 5:32 mark until halftime. Willis would knock down a jumper and hit a 3-pointer 27 seconds later to extend the lead back to double digits. NDC ended the half on a 8-1 run as Kaleb Torrence had back to back steals. The first which led to a 3-pointer by Crawford and then the other one leading to a Torrence layup. At halftime NDC held a 38-21 advantage.
In the opening stanza NDC was led by Willis with 10 points, Crawford netted nine, and Ugwuakazi added eight points and nine rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. NDC shot 47 percent from the field, 31 percent (5-16) from the 3-point line, and 75 percent (3-4) at the free throw line in the first half. NDC had six assists and seven turnovers in the opening half.
WVSU was led by Kinsler with six points in the first half, while Pittman chipped in five. They shot 25 percent from the field and 10 percent (1-10) from the 3-point line in the first half. They shot 50 percent (2-4) from the free throw line in the half as well. WVSU had three assists and five turnovers in the opening frame.
Richmond talked defense:
"We really talked about guarding our yard. We had to guard more than one guy. They have talented players and we had to stay in front of them. Everybody else had to play the paint. I thought we really did that today."
NDC came out firing in the second half. Talbert and Crawford hit 3-pointer's and and Crawford hit a jumper. Kinsler hit a jumper for WVSU but Talbert hit another shot from long range as NDC as the NDC lead grew to 26 (49-23) with 17:59 to go.
Richmond talked about a couple lessons they learned of late:
"We learned our lesson on Saturday. We had a pretty big lead at AB (Alderson Broaddus) and they got right back in it in the second half. In our first two games against West Virginia State we were playing catch up. Even in those games, they are really explosive and can get back in it fast."
WVSU got to within 17 (49-32) but NDC would have an answer as Talbert and Daylin Lee would hit shots from the 3-point line to stretch the lead back to 23 (55-32.) Jordan would hit a 3-pointer for the Yellow Jackets and they were within 14 (59-45) with 12:44 to go. NDC would go on a 14-2 run to all but seal this one as Barker hit a pair of free throws and a jumper at the 10:15 mark. WVSU made one last push to get to within 11 (87-76) with under a minute to go but Willis and Ugwuakazi would put this one away at the free throw line.
Ugwuakazi talked about his mindset:
"Coach made it simple for me in practice and walk through, he said get to the rim. I just kept rolling and setting screens. My teammates did a good job of finding me. You have to be tenacious every time."
NDC finished the contest shooting 50 percent from the floor, 41 percent (12-29) from the 3-point line, and 74 percent (13-19) from the free throw line. They had 17 assists and 13 turnovers in the contest.
WVSU shot 35 percent from the field, 32 percent (9-28) from the 3-point line, 73 percent (16-22) from the free throw line. They had 10 assists and seven turnovers in the loss.
Crawford talked about the big win afterwords:
"Coach emphasized before the game we need to set the tone and be the aggressor and I think we did that. I didn't want it to end (my career) tonight. This is the first time I've beaten West Virginia State since I have been at NDC. It feels good."
NDC will advance to the MEC Semifinals on Saturday at 6 PM when they take on the fifth ranked team in the country and top seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers.
Other MEC Tournament Scores Friday:
MEC Semifinals (Saturday:)
Atlantic Region Rankings: (Records through games on 2/26:)
Indiana (PA) 26-1
West Liberty 25-3
MercyHurst 22-4
Virginia Union 22-7
Fairmont State 21-6
Pitt-Johnstown 18-9
West Chester 21-7
East Stroudsburg 21-7
West Virginia State 19-8
Winston-Salem 18-8
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