SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame's program-best winning streak of seven games came to an end Saturday, with the Falcons falling, 58-53, to Adrian (Mich.). (Box)

Notre Dame (7-1) and Adrian (3-3) battled in a hard-fought defensive affair, with the Bulldogs emerging victorious on the strength of their 3-point shooting (39.1 percent, 9-for-23). Adrian held the NAIA-II's fourth-leading scorer, #Eric Dummermuth# to just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting.

In the opening half, Adrian opened up a 10-0 lead with NDC missing their first seven attempts from the floor. The Falcons rushed back into the game, however, with five consecutive made baskets, tying the score (13-13) by the 11-minute mark. After allowing Adrian's initial 10-0 onslaught, Notre Dame's defense came on strong and limited the Bulldogs' quality scoring chances throughout the first.

The Falcons held Adrian to a 37.0 percent (10-for-27) mark in the first and took a hard-fought 29-25 lead into halftime. A double- and sometimes-triple-teamed Eric Dummermuth led NDC in the first with nine points. Sophomore point guard #Nick McCartney# had six.

In the second half, Notre Dame scored just five points in the first six minutes, falling behind, 36-34, by the 14-minute mark. Fueled by a pair of slashing baskets and a thunderous block at the other end – all by junior forward #Curtis McClure# - the Falcons went on a 9-3 run between the 14- and 10-minute marks.

NDC parlayed that run into a 3-to-5 point lead for the next four minutes of game play; by 6:18, after an excellent fast break run by #Phil Biggs#, McClure and #Al Miller#, the Falcons held a 48-43 lead.

Adrian chipped away at that lead, eventually tying the game at 53-53 at 1:20. With 25 seconds remaining Delano Collins drove the lane and dished to Wesley Reed in the right corner who bombed in a trey to give the Bulldogs a 56-53 lead. Adrian would add a pair of free throws to produce the final 58-53 score.

McClure finished with 12 points to lead the Falcons in a 53-point performance that tied their lowest scoring output of the season. Dummermuth added 11 and Al Miller scored 12. Notre Dame shot 44.7 percent (21-for-47) from the field, outdoing the Bulldogs, who shot 38.5 percent (20-for-52). Adrian made up the difference by hitting nine threes in the games. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Falcons, 36-28, though Dummermuth pulled down a game-high eight.

Junior guard Jovon Mosely scored a game-high 14 to lead a balanced Adrian attack.

Continuing with a Michigan theme, Notre Dame will now play their next two games in Livonia, Mich., in a tournament hosted by Madonna University on Dec. 11-12. On day-one (Friday) of the tournament, Notre Dame will meet the host Crusaders in a game that tips off at 8 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

MEET THE BULLDOGS: Adrian College is an NCAA-III institution in Adrian, Mich. The College was founded in 1859 and has an enrollment of 1,600. The Bulldogs' 22 men's and women's athletic teams compete in the nine-member Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In men's hoops the Bulldogs went 8-17 a year ago (2008-09) and finished sixth in the MIAA. … Prior to Saturday's game, Notre Dame and Adrian had met once before, a 97-87 Bulldogs' win in South Euclid on Dec. 28, 2003.

BAD NEWS COMES IN THREES: 3-pointers played a significant role in the Bulldogs' snapping NDC's win streak. Prior to yesterday, the falcons had been an outstanding team in defending the three. In their last game, a 70-56 win over Malone, NDC held the visiting Pioneers to a 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) mark from 3-point range. Over their previous five games, NDC had held opponents to a 24.3 percent (28-for-115) mark from beyond the arc. … For the season, Notre Dame opponents had been shooting 25.0 percent (39-for-156) from 3-point range.