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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Notre Dame got back to their winning ways Thursday with a 72-55 win over Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.). The victory came in the third day of the Falcons' participation in the West Palm Beach Classic, hosted by Northwood University. NDC was knocked around in their first two games, both losses, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Senior forward #Jamie Henry# led the Falcon effort with a dominating double-double. The 5-foot-10 Garfield Heights product tallied 18 points and a team season-high 17 rebounds. Senior guard #Ashley Carney# also played well for Notre Dame (11-5, 1-0 AMC). Having slumped in recent games, Carney came through Thursday with 18 points, five assists, and four steals.

In the opening half, Notre Dame jumped out to a 13-7 lead over Calumet (1-13). As they had in the previous two games, NDC struggled with their shooting – the Falcons would shoot just 28.9 percent (13-for-45) in the period. Notre Dame, however, excelled in other facets of the game, out-rebounding the Crimson Wave, 28-21, and forcing 17 first-half turnovers. The end result was a 32-27 halftime lead for the Falcons.

In the second half, NDC finally found their shooting touch. The Blue & White connected for 48.3 percent (14-for-29) of their shots in extending their lead into double digits and to an eventual 17-point victory.

“We finally made a few shots in the second half,” said head coach #Dick Deasy#. “We're just really struggling from the floor right now.”

In addition to the inside-outside production Deasy and the Falcons got from Henry and Carney, NDC's effort was also bolstered by the play of junior guard #Amanda Brown# and senior center #Erika Falcone#. Brown garnered nine points and five steals on the afternoon, while Falcone collected 10 points and a personal season-high nine boards. The Falcons' rebounding and defense was noted by Deasy as a particular key to victory in the midst of what amounts to a team shooting slump:

“Our girls really played hard. The shots weren't falling – threes, lay-ups, none of them. But the defense and rebounding was there.”

NDC out-rebounded CCSJ, 45-40, for the game. Over the 40 minutes, Notre Dame forced 29 turnovers. The Falcons outscored the Crimson Wave, 26-15, in points off turnovers and 19-10 in second chance points.

Calumet was led by junior guard Lecreia Hudson (Gary, Ind.), who scored 15 points. With the loss, CCSJ lost their 13th consecutive game this season.

The victory for the Falcons closes out their calendar year. NDC will resume their schedule Jan. 3 (at Roberts Wesleyan) after a 13-day break.


NOTES FROM THE NEST…

TWICE AS NICE: Jamie Henry's double-double was her fifth this season and the 10th of her career. Henry's 17 rebounds mark the Falcons' best single-game performance since Jan. 21, 2008, when Henry herself collected a program-record 20 rebounds against Ursuline. … For the season, the Garfield Heights native is averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 6.6 boards per contest.

LID ON THE BASKET: In their first 100 minutes of play in Florida (games one and two plus the first half of game-three), Notre Dame shot just 29.3 percent (56-for-191) from the field. Coming into Thursday's game, the Falcons' 43.9 percent mark from the floor ranked third in the American Mideast Conference (AMC).