SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- After winning each of their first seven games this season, Notre Dame has now dropped two in a row. The most recent of those was a 78-72 loss to Madonna (Mich.) in the day-one of the State Farm Classic on Friday night. (Box)

The host Crusaders, which came into the contest with a lowly 1-8 mark, paired a second-half comeback with subpar Falcon shooting to pull the upset. #Eric Dummermuth# scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, but Madonna countered with three 20-point scorers and a staunch interior defense against Notre Dame (7-2).

Notre Dame scored the first seven points of the game and had an 11-4 lead by the 15-minute mark. Madonna then went on an 8-2 run, and the Falcons saw their lead shrink to one (13-12) in a matter of minutes.

The opening period was a battle of big men, with the Falcons' Eric Dummermuth dueling the Crusaders' 6-foot-8 center Geoff Gaylor. Before the opening 20 minutes had expired, Dummermuth would pile up 12 points and nine boards while Gaylor scored 10 points and blocked three shots in and around picking up three fouls. Their respective teams essentially traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Notre Dame went into halftime with a 39-34 lead despite shooting just 35.0 percent (14-for-40) from the floor.

In the second half, NDC extended its lead to nine (47-38) by the 14-minute mark. As they had in the first half, however, Madonna fought their way back into the game. Starting with a 3-point play by Gaylor at 13:15, MU went on a 17-9 run to whittle the Falcon lead to one (56-55) by 8:47. The Crusaders finally overtook the Falcons, 63-62, by the five-minute mark after a pair of made free throws by Gaylor, who continued to have an impactful performance despite playing through foul trouble.

After the Crusaders took the lead, they kept their foot on the gas and outscored Notre Dame, 15-10, the rest of the way. 

For the 40 minutes, NDC shot a season-low 37.5 percent (27-for-72). Madonna became the first Falcon opponent this season to crack 40 percent from the floor - the Crusaders shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59). NDC came into the game ranked fourth in the nation in field-goal defense.

Offensively, #Nick McCartney# had a decent night - he had 14 points and three assists. #Curtis McClure# and #Will Townsend# each scored 10. Dummermuth scored his 22 on 8-of-21 shooting. He was 6-of-9 from the foul line; the balance of the Falcon squad was an anemic 9-of-19 from the charity stripe.

Geoff Gaylor finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for the Crusaders. Guard Kevin Henry has 21 points, five boards and six assists. Bryant Slaughter added 20 points and seven rebounds. For the game, NDC outrebounded MU, 47-40.

MU had 12 blocked shots in the game, which tops the previous opponent record of 11 against the Falcons.

Notre Dame will close out their play in the 2009 State Farm Classic at noon on Saturday, when they take on Michigan-Dearborn. UM-Dearborn came into the weekend toting a 2-9 record on the season. 


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

CENTURION: Friday's NDC-Madonna tilt marked the 100th game of senior #Karim McFarlane#'s career. The 6-foot-7 pivot man from Jamaica has now played in 100 games, starting 97 of them. Coming into the weekend, McFarlane owned career averages of 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He is one of five Falcons to score 1,000 career points, and he came into Friday night as a 53.4 percent (479-for-897) shooter from the field over his four-year career. McFarlane had two points and eight boards against Madonna.

BROADCASTS: All four games of the State Farm Classic are offering Live Stats and Game Audio. Saturdays stats and audio will be available on the State Farm Classic tournament page.

MEET THE CRUSADERS: Madonna University is located in Livonia, Mich., a suburb of Detroit. The University sponsors 11 varsity athletic teams (five men's, six women's), and the Crusaders compete as a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. … In Friday's first game in the State Farm Classic, Rochester defeated UM-Dearborn, 72-65.

ON THE REBOUND: Notre Dame outrebounding Madonna, 47-40, came on the heels of consecutive games with NDC being outrebounded by Malone and Adrian (Mich.). The Falcons have now out-boarded their foes in five games this season. Coming into the weekend, the Blue & White ranked 16th in the nation (NAIA-II) in rebounding margin (plus-8.7). … Eric Dummermuth's career-high 17 rebounds top the 15 he recorded twice earlier this season (Nov. 20, Nov. 21). Dummermuth also had a career-high six steals in the game.