MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- Four Falcons posted double figures as Notre Dame shot their way to a victory in their American Mideast Conference opener on Tuesday.  The key road win runs NDC's season record to 3-0.  (Box)

Sophomore forward #Eric Dummermuth# notched his third straight 20-point game, scoring a game-high 23.  The 6-foot-6 Dover, Ohio, native went 9-of-12 from the field to lead a Falcon squad that shot 54.9 percent (28-for-51) from the field.  That figure trumped the home squad by a long shot - Mount Vernon(2-2, 0-1 AMC) shot 33.8 percent (22-for-65).  

Sophomore forward #Eric Dummermuth# notched his third straight 20-point game, scoring a game-high 23. The 6-foot-6 Dover, Ohio, native went 9-of-12 from the field to lead a Falcon squad that shot 54.9 percent (28-for-51) from the field. That figure trumped the home squad by a long shot - Mount Vernon (2-2, 0-1 AMC) shot 33.8 percent (22-for-65).

Notre Dame (3-0, 1-0) and MVNU traded baskets through most of the first half. A Dummermuth tip-in at 5:36, gave NDC a fiv e point lead (25-20). The Cougars then rallied with a 14-4 run to briefly take a five-point lead of their own (34-29) late in the half. #Al Miller# then drilled a trey late in the first, and NDC went into halftime trailing by two, 34-32. Miller finished the game with three treys as part of 11 points. The Falcons' two-point deficit came despite shooting just 1-of-6 from the foul line in the opening 20 minutes.

Another Miller three jump-started the Blue & White in the second half. It proved to be the first strike of a dominant 27-10 run, in which NDC took control of the game. By the 8:36 mark, Notre Dame led, 59-44, and the Cougars had made just three baskets in 16 second-half attempts.

Mount Vernon answered NDC's run, however, with one of their own. Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, the Cougars went on a 13-1 run to cut the Falcon lead to three (60-57). Notre Dame counterpunched, this time with Eric Dummermuth providing the firepower. The Falcon forward scored NDC's next seven points, and at the end of that stretch (2:13), Notre Dame led by nine (67-58). MVNU went just 2-for-their-last-10, short circuiting any hope for a late move on the scoreboard, and NDC closed out the 13-point win, their first ever victory on MVNU's home floor.

The Cougars' shooting woes were evident on the final box score, which showed MVNU shooting just 25.8 percent (8-for-31) in the second half and 33.8 percent (22-for-65) for the game. On treys the Cougars were just 3-of-20. But give some of that credit to a Falcon team playing good defense in the season's opening week.

“I'm proud of our guys,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “They did a great job of executing the game plan. We played solid defense and really slowed them down. But the best part of the win, I thought, was in the end when they made that run. We stayed composed and finished off the game.”

Dummermuth's 23 points on the game were backed up by #Curtis McClure#'s 13, #Nick McCartney#'s 12 and Miller's 11. NDC won the game despite being out-rebounded by four (41-37) and shooting just 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the charity stripe.

The host Cougars were led by Bryce Sanborn, who scored 19 points and grabbed 22 rebounds.

The win for NDC marked their first in at the MVNU Physical Education Center in seven tries and their second overall against Mount Vernon, which maintains a 7-2 series lead. The victory also spells a 1-0 start in conference play for a seventh straight season - the Falcons haven't lost an AMC opener since the 2002-03 season. NDC is 3-0 to start the season for a second straight year - the Blue & White won six straight to start the 2008-09 season.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

FAST (START FOR) FORWARD: Earlier on Tuesday, Eric Dummermuth was honored by the league as the AMC Player of the Week for the games of Nov. 9-15. The Falcons' power forward scored 49 points and tallied 19 boards while shooting 79.2 percent (19-for-24) from the field in two NDC victories on the week. Dummermuth won the AMC player of the Week award twice last season en route to being named the 2008-09 AMC Freshman of the Year.

ROAD-WEARY: Notre Dame's road victory gets the team's 2009-10 travels off to a good start. Last season, Notre Dame went just 3-10 in 13 road contests. On the other bench - MVNU went 14-1 at home a year ago. This year they are now 0-2.

MINISTERS OF DEFENSE: Through their first three games, Notre Dame is yielding just 54.0 points per game. The Falcons have held their three foes to a combined 62-for-176 mark (35.2 percent) from the floor.