SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Sophomore center #Yvette Hunter# scored a career-high 27 points and Notre Dame ended a two-game losing streak, as the Falcons topped eastside neighbor Ursuline, 78-71, on Tuesday at Murphy Gymnasium.  (Box)

Notre Dame (16-7, 6-2) got double-digit scoring from four players, and the Falcons shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) for the game. NDC out-rebounded Ursuline, 48-33, and handed the Arrows their first loss in four games.

The victory on College road keeps NDC's unbeaten home record this season intact; the Falcons are now 6-0 at home in 2008-09. Five of those six wins have come in conference play. NDC is 13-0 in American Mideast Conference (AMC) home games over the last two seasons. Notre Dame is 60-8 (.882) over their last 68 games in South Euclid overall.

In the opening frame Tuesday, Ursuline (10-10, 4-4) missed 10 of their first 13 field goal attempts, as NDC opened up an early 10-point lead (19-9). A trey by UC's Kierra Turner at the 7:30-mark closed the gap to four (21-17), and then Turner hit another 3-ball at 6:40 to make it a 21-20 game.

After a Notre Dame time-out and an NDC bucket, Turner connected on a third straight 3-pointer to tie the game at 23-23. A steal and a layup by senior forward Jessica Wood at 4:00 finished off a 21-6 run for the Arrows and put them up, 30-25. Wood finished with 13 first-half points. Yvette Hunter answered with 16 for the Falcons, who closed out the period with a 12-7 run to knot the score at 37-37 at halftime.

NDC shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) in the first half, but Ursuline knocked down six treys to keep the action even over the first 20 minutes of the contest.

The two teams played evenly at the outset of the second stanza. Notre Dame assumed a 53-47 lead at 12:24, when junior guard #Amanda Brown# hit a trey from the right corner. Sophomore forward #Natalie Houdek# followed that up with a three of her own moments later, and #Ashley Carney# completed the NDC triple when she hit from beyond the arc at 10:24. Carney's trey capped off an 11-3 run for the Falcons, putting them up, 61-50.

A steal and a layup by Wood at 6:25 brought the Arrows to within four, at 63-59. That's as close as the Arrows would come the rest of the way. The Falcons answered with a series of inside baskets to re-establish a comfortable lead. When Hunter hit a pair of free throws at 2:13, Notre Dame held a 73-66 lead. The Falcons would hold on to win by the 78-71 final.

Jessica Wood led the Arrows on the night, with 24 points, 11 boards, and five steals. Senior guard Whitney Blackburn added 14 points for the Arrows, who are now 0-20 all-time against Notre Dame.

Hunter scored her 27 on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor and a 5-of-6 night at the line. The sophomore forward also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, her most in a game since Feb. 27, 2008. Hunter has now garnered a double-double in each of the Falcons last three games.

Ashley Carney had 14 points and four assists in the NDC effort. Senior forward #Jamie Henry# added 12 points and seven boards. Natalie Houdek posted personal season-highs in points (11) and rebounds (five), all in just 16 minutes of action off the Falcon bench. The 6-foot-1 Brunswick, Ohio, native also swatted away a pair of shots and was 4-of-4 from the foul line. Freshman forward #Ashley Wallace# added six points and six rebounds.

The Falcons' plus-15 in rebounding marks their best single-game performance on the glass since Dec. 12. NDC had been out-rebounded in two of its previous three contests. For the season, Notre Dame is a minus-1.2 in average rebounding margin.

In turning back their AMC neighbors from Pepper Pike, Notre Dame avoided losing a third consecutive game for the first time since the 2003-04 season. NDC's 6-2 AMC record has them tied for fourth place in the league standings.   The Falcons still have five games remaining against teams with winning AMC records.

Tuesday's game against the Arrows was the beginning of what will be a season-long five-game home stand for Notre Dame. The Falcons will also be on College Road Jan. 30-31, Feb. 5, and Feb. 7. The home stand continues on Friday, when the Blue & White host the Highlanders of Houghton College (N.Y.). The first tip Friday is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be aired tape-delay on SportsTime Ohio (STO); airtime is scheduled for 10 p.m.; the game NDC-HC game will be re-aired on Saturday at 5 a.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST…

BIG GAME HUNTER:  Yvette Hunter's 27 points Tuesday night came on the strength of another solid shooting night. Hunter hit an array of shots on both blocks and from the top of the key; for the game, she was 11-of-13 from the floor. The Falcons' 5-foot-10 center came into the game leading the nation in field goal percentage (64.5).

PASS-HAPPY:  Ashley Carney had four assists against the Arrows, pulling her to within three of tying the program's career record. Carney now has 419 career assists. The all-time NDC leader is Maggie Daniels (2001-05), with 422. … Carney is also on the Falcons' all-time top-five list in both points and steals.

SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREAK:  With Tuesday's win over the Arrows, Notre Dame has now swept two games from UC this season. The two teams opened the 2008-09 season against each other on Nov. 12. The Falcons have won every meeting between the two programs since Ursuline instituted its women's basketball program in 2000. … In those 20 games, NDC is 9-0 at home and 9-0 in games decided by 10 points or less.