WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. -- Notre Dame suffered its first American Mideast Conference loss of the season on Saturday, losing, 91-82, at Point Park (Pa.). (Box)

The Falcons and Pioneers came into Saturday's game riding opposite four-game streaks, with NDC having won four in a row and Point Park having lost four straight.

Point Park (6-8, 2-3) got 21 points from senior guard TJ Heatherington and 20 from junior guard Eric Johnson as they took down the only undefeated team in the AMC North.

Notre Dame (12-6, 4-1 AMC) got a game-high 28 points from sophomore forward #Eric Dummermuth# in the loss. Dummermuth also grabbed 12 rebounds, marking his fifth straight double-double. Sophomore guard #Nick McCartney# had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Falcons, who are now 3-2 in five road games this season.

“Give credit to Point Park,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “They flat-out beat us. They out-rebounded us, forced turnovers and took us out of our game plan.”

In the first half, Notre Dame came out strong, doubling up the Pioneers, 26-13, by the 11:53-mark. The home five then started chipping away at the Falcon advantage. PPU got the Notre Dame lead down to six (31-25) by 8:27. The Pioneers overtook the Falcons at 4:11 on a three-point play by Eric Johnson. Point Park eventually went into halftime with a 46-41 lead, thanks to a stretch where they outscored NDC, 33-15.

In the second, NDC twice cut the PPU lead to three but would get no closer. The Pioneers iced the game by hitting 14-of-20 (70. 0 percent) from the foul line in the second period.

For the game, PPU claimed the edge in both rebounding (46 to 41) and turnovers (PPU 13, NDC 16).

Dummermuth scored his 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and a 10-for-15 afternoon at the charity stripe. For the 6-foot-6 power forward and the rest of the Falcons, Saturday marked the team's first misstep in league play.

“This is our first AMC loss, but there are a lot of games to play,” said Bille. “We just need to put this one behind us and get ready for Tuesday [Jan. 19]. That's another tough one on the road.”

That tough one will come in Amherst, N.Y., where Daemen will host NDC on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Start-time is slated for 7:30 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

KARIM-OF-THE-CROP: With five rebounds at PPU Saturday, senior center #Karim McFarlane# passed Paul Benjamin (2001-05) and moved into first place on the program's all-time rebounding list. McFarlane has now hauled down 729 boards in his four-year Falcon career. The 6-foot-7 Portmore, Jamaica, native is also NDC's career leader in blocked shots, with 223.

HOUSE OF HORRORS: With Saturday's defeat in West Mifflin, Notre Dame is now 1-8 all-time at Point Park. The Falcons are 3-12 overall against the Pioneers. … Point Park's 91 points Saturday mark the most scored against NDC this season.