SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Turnovers tell the story of Notre Dame's 90-63 loss to Cedarville at Murphy Gymnasium on Saturday. NDC committed 18 miscues and were a minus-seven on the day, as the Lady Jackets downed the Falcons in American Mideast Conference action.  (Box)

Cedarville (16-7, 7-3) scored 51 second-half points and dominated a struggling Notre Dame squad on the boards and on defense.

The game featured two teams statistically even matched and with similar conference records. Notre Dame (16-10, 6-5)
came into the game averaging 73.2 points per game, yielding 64.2 points per game, and toting a 6-4 AMC record. Cedarville came to College Road with corresponding figures of 74.6, 63.9, and 6-3. Both teams also came into the game on a down note, with NDC having lost four of their last five and Cedarville two of their last three.

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 6-5 in the conference and suffer their fifth loss in six games. Cedarville's win at Murphy Gymnasium also spells NDC's third straight loss at home, a dubious feat the NDC program hadn't accomplished since the 2002-03 season.

Notre Dame's veteran players paced the Falcons to an early lead in the game. With NDC honoring five senior players as part of Senior Day, the Blue & White started all five. The five seniors responded, and the Falcons jumped out to a 12-4 lead. Senior center #Erika Falcone# scored a quick eight points in NDC establishing their eight-point lead.

Cedarville countered with a 7-0 run to cut NDC's lead to one (12-11) by the 12-minute mark. At 9:33, the Lady Jackets took their first lead of the game, 15-14, despite having missed 15 of their 20 shots from the floor.

As the second half progressed, the CU defense forced a number of turnovers. Those turnovers would lead to a 34-27 Cedarville lead by 1:45, when junior guard Alison Lemon drilled a trey from the left corner. The Lady Jackets took a 39-31 lead into halftime, with the Falcons committing 13 first-half turnovers.

Falcone had 11 first-half points to lead NDC. Sophomore guard Rachel Hurley tallied 11 in the first to pace Cedarville.

In the second half, a Hurley trey at the 17-minute mark gave the Lady Jackets their first double-digit lead, 46-35. That 3-pointer was part of an 18-10 Cedarville run to start the period, with Hurley scoring 11 of those points.

By the midpoint of the second frame, the Lady Jackets held a 65-47 lead, with Notre Dame unable to muster a sustained run. Both benches were used liberally in the final minutes, and Cedarville breezed to the 27-point win.

CU shot 54.3 percent (19-of-35) in the second half and 44.3 percent (35-of-79) for the game. The Lady Jackets out-rebounded the Falcons, 53-39 and won the turnover battle, 18-11.

NDC shot 33.3 percent (11-of-33) in the second and 37.1 percent (23-of-62) in the game.

The Falcons were led by Erika Falcone, who scored 11 points. Hurley paced Cedarville; she finished with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Five Lady Jackets tallied double-figures in the game.

With their loss to the Lady Jackets on Saturday, NDC is now 1-7 all-time against Cedarville. The Falcons fall to 6-3 at home this season. Notre Dame hadn't lost three straight games at home since December of 2002.  Their 27-point loss marks the worst the Falcons have endured at home since Jan. 22, 2002 (44-point loss to Ohio Dominican).

Notre Dame will look to break out of that funk when they play their next game, which is scheduled to be another AMC home tilt. That game is slated for Wednesday, Feb. 11, when NDC hosts the Bulldogs of Wilberforce University in a 6 p.m. tip. That game is a rescheduled date from a Feb. 5 postponement.


NOTES FROM THE NEST…

SENIOR MOMENT: On Saturday afternoon, NDC Women's Basketball honored their five senior players. #Molly Baker#, #Ashley Carney#, Erika Falcone, #Jamie Henry#, and #Teri Immarino# were recognized in a pregame ceremony for their contributions to the program. … Both Carney and Henry were noted as four-year letter winners for the Falcons. Over the last four years (2005-09), the program has posted a combined record of 85-33 (.720) while making postseason appearances three straight times (2005-08).

CARNEY CLINCHER: Ashley Carney came into Saturday's game tied for the program's all-time lead in assists. She doled out one assis in the game, moving past Maggie Daniels (2001-005) into sole possession of the career record. In 114 games, Carney has now recorded 423 assists. The Solon, Ohio, native also ranks in NDC's all-time top-five in points (1,369) and steals (216). … Carney came into Saturday's game ranked 15th in the nation in assists per game, with 4.9.