SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame earned their second American Mideast Conference victory and ran their season record to 7-0 with a 14-point win over Malone on Wednesday. (Box)
#Eric Dummermuth# scored a career-high 33 points and fueled a second-half surge for NDC in what was a well-played, tight ball game until the final minutes. With the victory, Notre Dame (7-0, 2-0 AMC) remains undefeated in AMC play and they set a new program record for consecutive wins.
NDC and Malone (2-4, 0-1) were neck-and-neck on the scoreboard throughout much of the first half. NDC turned up the heat on their pressure defense in the second half, holding MU to 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) shooting in the half.
In the first half, both teams played an even 10 minutes to start the game, with Malone leading, 17-16, by the midway point of the period. A ball-hawking Falcon defense created numerous Malone turnovers early on, but NDC's offense had difficulty getting into a rhythm. The NDC defense also caused three 35-second violations n the opening half.
Dummermuth led a charge that put the Falcons up by five (26-21) by the 5:18-mark. Malone would chip away at that lead by two baskets, and NDC went into halftime with a 33-32 advantage on the Murphy Gymnasium scoreboard. Dummermuth led the way for the Falcons in the first, scoring 12 points. He and his frontcourt mates, however, were bested, 21-11, on the boards in the first. A 12-5 edge in turnovers forced helped NDC erase their shortcomings on the glass in what was an evenly-played first 20 minutes.
In the second stanza, Notre Dame came out strong. When freshman guard #Will Townsend# finished on a break at 14:42, his bucket gave Notre Dame a 45-36 lead. The Falcons connected on seven of their first 11 shot attempts in the second.
Malone cut the Falcon lead to three (51-48) on a 3-point play by forward Ebiowei Porbeni at 8:30. Porbeni finished with 17 points on an 8-of-11 night from the floor.
A 14-8 run for Malone was short-circuited by #Nick McCartney# hitting a pair of throws on a technical foul at the seven-minute mark.
With neither side able to get their offense on track for more than a couple consecutive possessions, the Falcons and Pioneers found themselves in a 1-point game (NDC57, MU 56) at the two-minute mark. NDC built that lead to four (60-56) on three free throws.
A long pass from McCartney to Dummermuth set the big man up for an exclamation dunk inside one minute. That play, which included an and-one foul shot by Dummermuth, put NDC up by seven (63-56). A Malone technical and 30 seconds of endgame basketball ran out the clock, and the Falcons emerged with their seventh straight win, 70-56.
For the game, NDC outshot MU, 49 percent to 39 percent. The Pioneers won the battle of the boards, with a 39-28 effort in rebounding. NDC countered by forcing 21 turnovers; the Falcons committed 13 of their own for a plus-8 in turnovers. And the Falcons held an edge in free-throw shooting as well - NDC went 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) from the stripe, while the Pioneers went 9-of-14 (64.3).
Dummermuth scored his 33 points on an 11-of-17 shooting night. He also hit 11 free throws in 13 attempts. The power forward has led NDC in scoring in each of the team's first seven games. Dummermuth also had a team high nine boards in the game.
Fellow forward #Phil Biggs# added a season-high 12 points on a 6-for-6 shooting night. McCartney had five points and a career-high eight assists. Senior center #Karim McFarlane# contributed four points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Notre Dame will bring their seven-game streak back to the home hardwood of Murphy Gymnasium on Saturday, when they play their next game. The Falcons will be hosting Adrian (Mich.) in a 4 p.m. tip.
NOTES FROM THE NEST …
LIGHTING UP THE BOARD: Eric Dummermuth came into Wednesday's game ranked fourth in the nation (NAIA-II) in scoring, at 26.2 points per game. The 6-foo-6 sophomore also ranks among the NAIA's best in field goal percentage – his 70.2 percent (59-for-84) mark ranked third in the country prior to the Malone game. His 33 points against Malone eclipse the 32 he scored against Emory & Henry (Va.) on Nov. 20. His high game last year was 29 (Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Concordia).
HOME MALONE: Notre Dame is 4-0 at home this season, and the program sports a 42-15 (.739) mark at home since 2006. … Against Malone, Notre Dame has won four in a row. The Falcons are now 4-5 in nine all-time meetings with the Pioneers.
