SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio-- #Eric Dummermuth# scored his 1,000th point on Thursday night in a winning effort, as the Falcons won their fourth consecutive game at home, in a 71-67 victory over Roberts Wesleyan at Murphy Gymnasium. (Box)

The Dover, Ohio, native became the sixth player in program history to reach the millennium mark. The American Mideast Conference player of the week paced the Falcons with 19 points on the evening, and added eight rebounds. Dummermuth scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half. He reached the milestone at the 4:10 mark in the second half, on a put back to give the Falcons a 62-59 edge.

The two teams exchanged baskets through the first six and a half minutes of the contest until the Falcons began a 7-0 run at the 12:47 mark on #Curtis McClure#'s jumper. Notre Dame's stingy defense held the Raiders to just four points over the next eight minutes, allowing the Falcons to build a 32-21 lead at the half. NDC dominated inside, scoring 24 of their 32 first half points in the paint, and they scored 11 points off 10 Wesleyan turnovers in the opening stanza.

Notre Dame maintained their large lead for the first several minutes of the second half, but the Raiders cut the deficit to two at the 12:56 mark on Justin Andreozzi's 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run. #Karim McFarlane# buried a 20-foot jumper after a Notre Dame timeout to end the Raider run, and moments later, the Falcon offense gained a little momentum when #Nick McCartney# found McClure on an alley-oop.

The Raiders remained close through the duration of the contest, and tied the game at 58-58, at the 5:41 mark, on Andreozzi's jumper. The Falcons responded with an 8-1 run to take a 66-59 lead on #Al Miller#'s 3-pointer at the 2:36 mark.

Free throws were the difference for the Falcons down the stretch, as both McCartney and Miller buried four shots from the charity stripe to seal the deal in the final minute. The Falcons shot 78.6 percent (11-for-14) from the free throw line in the second half. Notre Dame also shot extremely well from the floor in the second half, connecting on 52.0 percent (13-for-25) of their shots.

“We're not doing the best job of executing down the stretch,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “If we had done a better job on the glass, we could have put that game away a lot sooner. But to our guys' credit, they hung in there and were able to get the job done.”

NDC was able to earn the victory, despite being out-rebounded 43-27. For the Falcons, the victory was their fourth in a row at Murphy Gymnasium. Dummermuth's 19 paced a spread out NDC scoring attack, as three other Falcons scored in double figures. McClure dumped in 14, while Miller contributed with 13 and McFarlane added 12.

Andreozzi was Robert Wesleyan's leading scorer with 18. Alif Bland recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while both Dan Foley and Mitchell Fraser turned in 11 point performances.

The Blue & White will return to action at home on Saturday, when they welcome the Houghton Highlanders to Murphy Gymnasium. Tip-off for the AMC tilt is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST:

SERIES NOTES: The Falcons are 10-7 all time against Roberts Wesleyan and have won seven consecutive games against the Raiders, dating back to 2007. Four of those seven games have been decided by more than ten points.

GELLING IN JANUARY: The Falcons are 20-8 during the month of January over the last four seasons. The Falcons are 5-1 in January this season. They've outscored their opponents 465-391 over that six game stretch.

NDC ON STO: Notre Dame has reached an agreement with Classic Teleproductions to have their home basketball double header on Saturday, 2/13, broadcast on SportsTime Ohio (STO). The men's game against Northwestern Ohio will be aired on tape delay at 10:00 pm on 2/13 with the women's game following at midnight.

WELCOME BACK: Before Saturday's contest against Houghton, the Falcons will host the 2010 Alumni Men's Basketball game. 18 former NDC players will return to college road for the 5th annual alumni game, to face this year's team. The contest will begin at 11 AM in Murphy Gymnasium.