SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- After a cold shooting stretch at the beginning of the game and staked to just a 2-point lead (42-40) at halftime, Notre Dame played a strong second half and defeated Malone, 94-78, in an American Mideast Conference game on Thursday. (Box)

Junior center #Yvette Hunter# notched her second straight double-double, collecting game-highs in points (22) and rebounds (10), and junior forward #Kealy McNally# added a personal season-high 18 points for Notre Dame (5-1, 2-0 AMC) which shot 66.7 percent (20-for-30) in the second.

With the victory on their home hardwood, Notre Dame has now won four straight games. Malone (2-6, 0-2) has dropped four in a row.

“We definitely played a solid, intense, athletic game in the second half,” said NDC Head Coach Dick Deasy. “We just need to find the right combination or the right attitude for coming out of the gates like that.”

Notre Dame struggled in the early minutes, missing four of their first 16 shot attempts. Midway through the opening stanza, the Falcons went on a 10-4 run to establish a 24-17 lead by the eight-minute mark.

Malone rallied, however, and cut the NDC advantage back down to one by the 4:49-mark. NDC would work their lead back to seven before the Pioneers closed out the first half with a 5-0 run. That run sent the Falcons into their locker room with a 42-40 lead at halftime. After having gone cold from the floor in the early going, NDC bounced back to make 14 of the final 23 shots in the first half. NDC shot 46.2 percent (18-for-39) for the opening 20 minutes. Hunter had 10 points for Notre Dame. Junior guard Amy Kittle had 15 for MU.

In the second half, Notre Dame started strong, hitting 12 of their first 16 attempts from the floor and opening up a 17-point lead (67-50) by the 11-minute mark. From there, NDC continued to stay hot, feeding into their offense with solid defensive pressure on the Pioneers.

Hunter, McNally and #Alex Dackin# all played major roles in the second-half Falcon surge. NDC built their lead to 25 by the seven-minute mark and led by as many as 28 in the second frame, until Malone cut the final margin to 16.

NDC finished the game with a 55.1 percent (38-for-69) mark from the floor, a season-high.  The Falcons outrebounded the Pioneers, 39-33, and won the turnover battle, 23-19.  Notre Dame, which came into the game ranked in the nation's (NAIA-II) Top-10 in steals, had 15 thefts against MU.  The Falcons also had a season-high six blocks in the contest.  Offensively, NDC's 94 points mar a new season-high.  The falcons also had a season-high 23 assists on the night.

Individually, Hunter's 22-and-10 game comes on the heels of a 21-and-14 game on Tuesday (Dec. 1) at Ursuline.  Thursday's performance marked the 10th double-double of Hunter's career.

#Chelsea Andorka# had an excellent floor game for the Falcons.  The freshman from Canton, Ohio, stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, six boards, five assists and three steals.

The Pioneers, who shot 48.4 percent (31-for-64) from the field, were led by junior guard Allyson Wilson, who had 16 points and eight rebounds. 

Notre Dame will play a third straight AMC game this Saturday, Dec. 5, when the team travels to Mount Vernon, Ohio, for a 7 p.m. tip with the Lady Cougars, who will had into that league game with a record of 4-1.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

LAST HOME GAME OF THE YEAR: With the NDC-Malone game in the books, the Falcons' next seven games will be away from Murphy Gymnasium. Those seven road and neutral-site games will take the team as far north as Wisconsin (Beloit) and as far south as Florida (West Palm Beach). NDC's next home game is slated for Jan. 14.

COLLEGE ROAD CONFIDENTIAL: When the Falcons are on the road, the trends say the team will miss playing on College Road. With Thursday's victory over the Pioneers, NDC is 2-0 at home this season and 59-11 (.843) on their home hardwood since 2004. … A year ago (2008-09), Notre Dame went 6-3 in nine AMC games at home. Since 2004, the Falcons are 36-7 (.837) in league games at Murphy Gymnasium.