LATROBE, Pa. – Notre Dame ran their season-opening win streak six games and another 45 minutes into a seventh before they finally lost.  That loss came at the hands of another undefeated squad, playing on their home court, as St. Vincent (Pa.) topped Notre Dame, 78-75, in overtime Monday.  The loss halts the Falcon streak at six, a program record.  And it comes to a Bearcat squad that is now 5-0 on the season.

Senior forward Dan Jones (Niles, Ohio) scored a season-high 27 points on a night which featured two squads that came in with a combined 10 wins and no losses.  Having led a hard-fought game by a slim margin throughout much of the evening, Notre Dame (6-1) was tied at the end of regulation by a Bearcat trey.  The Falcons were then outscored, 14-11, in the extra frame.

In the opening period, the two teams traded baskets through the first five minutes of play.  Starting at 15:00, however, NDC went on a 13-4 run to take a 21-13 lead.  After a 4:45 scoreless spell for both teams, both the Falcons and Bearcats continued to vie for control of the game's momentum.  St. Vincent ended the half on a 5-0 run to go into halftime down two, 27-25.

In the second, both offenses clicked, and neither was able to wrest away control of the pace of play.  The second half saw tie scores at the 12, 11, and seven-minute marks.  Then, Notre Dame got a jolt from the play of Jones and freshman forward Eric Dummermuth (Dover, Ohio).  Both scored several baskets in a period of back-and-forth play, helping the Falcons to a 60-56 lead by the two-minute mark.

That NDC lead would be three points (64-61) when senior guard Tre'sor Kalambay drained a three-ball with 1.7 ticks remaining in regulation.  That sent the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Falcons jumped out to a five-point lead (69-64), with a red-hot Jones scoring all five points.  From that point on, however, SVC would outscore Notre Dame, 14-6, to claim the three-point win.

For the game, Notre Dame shot 46.0 percent (29-for-63) from the field.  SVC shot 42.5 percent (31-for-73).  The Bearcats outrebounded NDC, 47-36, and won the turnover battle, 24-19.

“They did a nice job pressuring us,” said head coach Kevin Bille.  “It's a tough loss to take because I felt we had our chances.  But having a young team go through this type of game on the road is only going to help us down the road.”

Dan Jones scored his 27 on 10-of-17 shooting.  He was 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.  His 27 points are an NDC career high.  The Niles, Ohio, native also grabbed nine rebounds and had six assists.  “Dan played great tonight,” said Bille.

Dummermuth finished with 18 points and seven boards.  Freshman guard Nick McCartney (Newton Falls, Ohio) added 12 points and five assists.

Notre Dame was largely done in by turnovers and the offensive glass work of the Bearcats (22 offensive rebounds).  Both of those causes were hurt by junior center Karim McFarlane (Portmore, Jamaica) being in foul trouble.  McFarlane fouled out of the game with four points, three boards, and seven turnovers. 

The Bearcats were led by senior guard Joey Butler (Fort Washington, Md.), who had 25 points, six assists, and four steals.  Senior Billy Bains (Richterswil, Switzerland) added 20 points and nine rebounds.

The win for St. Vincent was their 10th in 11 all-time meetings with NDC.  The Bearcats have now won six straight in the series, dating back to the 2004-05 season.

The Falcons will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 4, when they travel to Houghton, N.Y., to take on the Houghton Highlanders.  That game will tip at 8 p.m.  Notre Dame will then have a seven-day break before resuming their season on Dec. 12.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

HOT HAND: Over his last four games, Dan Jones is shooting 58.7 percent (27-for-46) from the floor and 50.0 percent (7-for-14) from 3-point range.  Over that stretch, the 6-foot-3 Jones is averaging 19.0 points per game.  For the season, Jones is averaging 14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

TABLES TURNED:  NDC's 24 turnovers Monday were a season high and the most they've had in a game since committing 27 in a game at Cleveland State on Nov. 13, 2006.  The Falcons came into the game averaging 13.7 turnovers per game.