SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The frontcourt tandem of #Eric Dummermuth# and #Karim McFarlane# provided 45 points and 18 rebounds Saturday afternoon, as Notre Dame remained unbeaten in American Mideast Conference (AMC) play with a 79-67 home court victory over Ohio Dominican.  (Box)

With the win, NDC keeps pace near the top of the AMC standings. Along with No. 5 Cedarville (who was scheduled to play Saturday night), the Falcons are one of two teams undefeated in league play. NDC came into Saturday's action a half-game behind the Yellow Jackets, who started the day with a 4-0 conference mark.

Notre Dame (15-5, 4-0) was led by McFarlane, who scored a career-high 26 points in the game. Dummermuth added 19 points and 13 boards to collect his team-leading 10th double-double on the season. Senior forward #Dan Jones# added 13, going 6-of-6 from the free throw line in a game in which the Falcons would get to the charity stripe a program-record 47 times.

NDC held Ohio Dominican (9-11, 2-3) under 40 percent from the floor for the game.

In the opening half, the Falcons and Panthers traded baskets for much of the first 10 minutes. An inside move by McFarlane at 9:57 kicked off a 12-2 run for Notre Dame to give them a 31-20 lead by the 5-minute mark. In that stretch and throughout the period, McFarlane hit a number of shots squaring up to the basket, while Dummermuth got his points slashing through the paint.

The Falcon big men each scored 12 points in the half, with Dummermuth pulling down nine boards. A 3-pointer at the buzzer by ODU junior guard Sonny Stattmiller closed out the half with NDC holding a 38-29 lead.

In the second, the Panthers got with 10 at 16:51 and then not again until there were seven seconds remaining in the game. A steady diet of free throw opportunities, 37 in the half, kept NDC up by a comfortable margin. The Falcons shot 40.0 percent (8-for-20) from the floor in the second half and 46.9 percent (23-for-49) for the game.

Notre Dame was out-rebounded by the Panthers, 40-33. Four ODU scorers hit double figures in the game. The Panther offense was hampered by subpar shooting beyond the arc; ODU went 6-of-28 (21.4 percent) on threes. Ohio Dominican has now lost three straight.

NDC's 47 free throw attempts set a new program mark and are the most in a game since the Falcons attempted 38 against Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 26, 2006. Notre Dame made 32 of those throws Saturday (68.1 percent) against the Panthers – that's also a new program record. Dummermuth scored 11 of his 19 points at the line. Sophomore guard #Eric Maag# went 7-of-8 at the stripe. For the season, the Falcons have now outscored opponents at the free throw line by a whopping 161 points (329-168).

For McFarlane, his tally of 26 points breaks his previous career-high of 25, which was set against Houghton (N.Y.) on Jan. 27, 2007. The 6-foot-7 pivot man is also the owner of two 24-point performances. In his NDC career, he has now garnered eight games of 20 points or more.

The Falcons' win on Saturday puts a 15th 'W' in the win column for the season; that figure already eclipses the 14 games the program won last season (2007-08) when the team went 14-15. For Notre Dame the win is their fifth straight, and it keep them on a roll in the month of January. NDC is now 5-0 in January, 2009, and 10-1 over their last 11 games in the first calendar month.

The win brings an end to what was a four-game home stand for the Falcons and a stretch where they played seven of eight games at home. NDC went 7-1 in those eight games. The Falcons will now hit the road for their next two games; they'll be at Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and then at Point Park (Pa.) on Saturday, Jan. 24. NDC's tip in Mount Vernon Tuesday is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame will resume their home schedule on Jan. 30.


NOTES FROM THE NEST…

A LOOK BACK:  Earlier on Saturday, NDC Men's Basketball held its Fourth Annual Alumni Game.  Sixteen former players returned for the game and were recognized at halftime of the Falcons-Panthers game. “It's great for our program to have former players still connected to the team and what's going on here,” said Kevin Bille. “I feel like when we hit benchmark accomplishments for the program, we do it as a whole, with past and present players included.”

DOUBLE AGENT: Eric Dummermuth has played in all 20 of the Falcons' games and has now posted double-doubles in half of them. He has garnered double digits in points and rebounds in each of his last four games and in eight of his last nine. Dummermuth came into Saturday's game ranked third in the AMC in both points and rebounds.

HOT AT HOME:  Notre Dame is now 9-2 at home this season. The Falcons are 36-13 (.735) over their last 49 games on College Road. … The win over Ohio Dominican makes NDC 4-5 all-time against the Panthers. The Falcons are 4-2 at home in that series.