SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame earned a 72-63 victory over Rochester (Mich.) in their home opener Thursday.  Freshman guard Nick McCartney (Newton Falls, Ohio) scored 18 points and the Falcon frontcourt tandem of freshman Eric Dummermuth (Dover, Ohio) and junior Karim McFarlane (Portmore, Jamaica) played a strong inside game, as Notre Dame picked up their second win of the season. 

McCartney scored 15 second-half points, nine at the free throw line, to help NDC protect a first half lead.  The game was the first of three invitational tournament games between Notre Dame, Rochester, and Ohio State-Lima, who will play a three-day round-robin from Thursday to Saturday.

In the opening half, Notre Dame (2-0) jumped out to an 18-5 lead by the 13:40 mark.  The run was fueled by the frontcourt play of Karim McFarlane and Eric Dummermuth; each controlled the boards and scored on several easy chances inside.  Dummermuth would go on to score 11 first-half points to lead the Falcons.

Rochester (2-1) cut the Falcon lead to four, 21-19, at 7:05 on an inside move by junior DeWayne Watkins (Pontiac, Mich.).  Moments later, the Warriors completed their first-half comeback on a right-wing 3-pointer by sophomore guard Grant Brown (Rochester, Mich.).  Those two baskets were part of a 15-1 run for Rochester.

The Falcons, however, would reclaim momentum toward the end of the first frame, going on a 7-0 run of their own.  That stretch was highlighted by a nifty no-look pass from McFarlane to a cutting Dummermuth for a bucket at 3:45.  Notre Dame carried a 33-28 lead into their Murphy Gymnasium locker room at halftime, with the duo of Dummermuth and McFarlane combining to score 20 of NDC's 33 points.  The Falcons outshot the Warriors, 54.5 percent (12-for-22) to 37.9 percent (11-for-29), in the first.

In the second half, the two teams traded baskets through the first 10 minutes.  Starting at the midpoint of the second stanza, NDC went on an 11-3 run to open a 60-49 lead by the eight-minute mark.  Notre Dame's offense was clicking through those middle minutes – the Blue & White made 13 of their first 19 attempts in the second.  The Falcons would go on to finish the second half

As they had in the first half, the Warriors battled back once again.  RC went on a 9-2 run to get within four, 62-58, by the four-minute mark.  DeWayne Watkins was a force for the Warriors, making six first of his first seven attempts from the field in the half.  Watkins would go on to score 12 points in the second half and a team-high 19 for the game.

As time wound down, Notre Dame got to the line to preserve what ended up as a nine-point victory in their home debut this season.

“Our kids played extremely hard,” said head coach Kevin Bille.  “We did a good job defensively, especially in the second half, and that got our transition game going.”

For the game, NDC shot 56.5 percent (26-for-46) from the field and 81.8 percent (18-for-22) from the free throw line.  Rochester shot 40.0 percent (26-for-65).  They got to the line just four times for the game, attempting no foul shots in the second half. Rebounds and turnovers were evenly distributed.

For Notre Dame, McCartney led the scoring, with 18 points; the newcomer from Youngstown, Ohio, also garnered a game-high four steals.  He finished the game 10-of-11 at the line.

Karim McFarlane added 15 points and Eric Dummermuth chipped in 13.  They combined to shoot 11-of-18 from the floor.  McFarlane and sophomore guard Eric Maag (Columbus Grove, Ohio) each collected seven rebounds to lead the Falcons.

Notre Dame's next game will be Saturday when they host Ohio State-Lima in day-three of the NDC Tip-Off Tournament.  That game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.  OSU-Lima will play Rochester Friday at 5 p.m.

NOTES FROM THE NEST…

MEET THE WARRIORS:  Rochester College is located in Rochester Hills, Mich.  The Warriors compete in nine intercollegiate sports and are members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.  RC Men's Basketball went 20-11 last season (2007-08). … Thursday's meeting between the Warriors and Falcons was the second between the two programs – NDC defeated RC, 82-61, on Dec. 15, 2006.

ALL-OHIO ALRIGHT:  Eric Dummermuth's 13-point night should not be a surprise to anyone who's followed high school basketball in the state of Ohio the past few years.  Dummermuth, a 2008 graduate of Dover High School was an All-Ohio (Division II)  Honorable Mention as a junior.  As a senior for the Tornadoes, the 6-foot-6 Dummermuth averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game for a 20-3 district finalist team.  In that senior campaign, he was named Ohio Division II Player of the Year. …  Dummermuth scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds in his collegiate debut at Malone last Saturday (Nov. 8).

NICE START: With back-to-back wins to start the season, Notre Dame is off to their best start since going 3-0 to start the 2005-06 campaign. ... The Falcons are now 3-5 in their eight home openers since the program was instituted in 2001.