SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame fell to No. 15 Siena Heights, 84-69, in the opener of their holiday invitational at Murphy Gymnasium, the Baymont Inn Tournament, on Tuesday. (Box)

The loss to the ranked Saints runs NDC's season record to 8-5, with the Falcons having lost five of their last six. With the victory in the tournament's opening game, Siena Heights (13-2) has won nine of its last 10.

A ball-hawking SHU defense held Notre Dame to a 38.3 percent (23-for-60) mark from the field in a game that the Saints controlled for much of the 40 minutes played. Four Siena players finished in double figures, with senior guard Brent Reynolds scoring a game-high 23 points.

In the opening half, Siena Heights came out with a hot hand, hitting six of their first nine shots and opening a 23-17 lead by the 10:47-mark. Notre Dame struggled in the early going, connecting on just seven of their first 20 attempts in the game.

At the other end of the floor, the Falcons ran into a Saint team hitting from long range - SHU went 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) in the first half from 3-point range. Brent Reynolds hit three of those treys en route to piling up 15 points in the first half. The Saints took a seven-point lead (40-33) into their locker room at halftime.

Siena Heights opened the second stanza with a 10-2 run to take a 15-point lead (50-35) by 18:40. Notre Dame answered with a streak of their own, scoring the next seven points of the game to close the gap to 50-42.

The Saints then rebuilt their advantage to 15, which would be plenty for their stout defense to hold the rest of the way. SHU, which came into the game ranked 16th in NAIA-II at 64.7 points allowed per game, kept NDC off balance on offense for much of the game. The Falcons would get no closer than 13 points the rest of the game, and the Saints' final margin of victory - 15 points - stands as NDC's biggest loss of the 2009-10 season.

Sophomore guard #Nick McCartney# led Notre Dame in scoring on the night; he tallied 16 points and five assists. Sophomore forward #Eric Dummermuth# added 14 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward #Curtis McClure# added 12 points.

“Siena is a good team,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#, “but this is still a disappointing loss. We're not happy with our results as compared to our talent right now. We need to get this turned around.”

SHU finished the game with a 49.2 percent (31-for-63) mark from the floor and a 50.0 percent (11-for-22) figure from beyond the arc. The Saints out-rebounded NDC, 42-34. Reynolds' 23 points were backed up by Mark Snipes scoring 17 and Logan Matthews and Cortney Smith each adding 14. Reynolds and Matthews each had nine boards. Snipes led the team in assists, with five.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

REACQUAINTED: Tuesday's tournament opener marked the third meeting between Notre Dame and Siena Heights. The Falcons and Saints split a pair of games over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

COLD DECEMBER: In shooting 38.3 percent from the field against Siena Heights, the Falcons have now failed to crack the 40 percent mark in three of the last five games. … Notre Dame is 1-5 in the month of December; since 2007 the Falcons are 8-16 (.333) in December. … The Falcons' last six games mark the first time since December-2007 that NDC has lost five games in a six-game stretch.

BRIGHT SPOTS: Notre Dame had a season high eight blocks in the game, the most they've had in a contest since Jan. 26 last season. … Senior guard #Al Miller# garnered a career-high seven rebounds in 29 minutes of action.