SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio--Junior #Curtis McClure# dropped 20 points on the Houghton Highlanders in the second half of Saturday's contest at Murphy Gymnasium, as the Falcons won their fifth consecutive game on College Road, in an 83-71 victory over the Highlanders. (Box) 

The Falcons (15-6, 7-1 American Mideast Conference) were tenacious on defense early on, holding the Highlanders to just a pair of field goals over the first six and a half minutes of the contest, allowing them to build an early 13-4 lead. The Highlanders (8-10, 3-5 AMC) were able to battle back and pulled within three, on Devin Paige's 3-pointer at the 7:54 mark.

Notre Dame then shut the Highlanders down again, holding them without a field goal for the next three minutes, and went on a 10-1 run to take a 31-19 lead, and finished the first half with a 40-33 advantage. The Blue & White used a significant rebounding edge and good shooting from the floor in the first half to establish their lead. In the opening stanza, NDC out-rebounded the Highlanders 24-14, and shot 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the floor.

Houghton wasted no time getting back into the contest with an impressive start to the second half. The Highlanders hustled and began the half with a 9-1 run, which was capped by a pair of free throws from Devin Paige, to give Houghton a 42-41 advantage. Houghton increased their lead to 51-45, at the 14:05 mark on another pair of free throws from Paige. However, the Falcons quickly regained control of the contest and went on an incredible 14-0 run, which was highlighted by #Nick McCartney#'s 3-pointer at the 11:16 mark to give NDC a 58-51 edge.

#Will Townsend#'s steal, which was followed by a layup at the other end, gave the Falcons a 78-68 lead with two minutes remaining to put the game away. NDC finished the contest on a 17-5 run. The Falcons shot an incredible 66.7 percent (16-for-24) from the floor in the second half, and hit on 56.4 percent (31) of their 55 shots in the contest.

“Our man-to-man defense made a big difference in the second half,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “It led the way to a number of fast break opportunities and helped us pull away down the stretch. We really fed off the crowd's energy and it was great to have our alumni back.”

McClure led the way for the Falcons with 23 points, while #Eric Dummermuth# dumped in 21. McCartney added 12 points and #Phil Biggs# chipped in with 10. Biggs and Dummermuth both turned in double-doubles, with 11 and 12 boards respectively.

Paige was Houghton's leading scorer with 26, while Ryan Shay contributed with 20 and Mark O'Brien added 13. Daniel Tomlinson paced the Highlanders with 12 rebounds.

The Blue & White are back in action at Murphy Gymnasium on Tuesday night, when they welcome the Wilberforce Bulldogs to town. Tip-off for the AMC tilt is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST:

HANDLING THE HIGHLANDERS: The Falcons are 11-6 all time against the Highlanders and have won 11 out of the last 12 meetings, dating back to 2005. Six out of those 12 games have been decided by less than 10 points.

WARMING UP IN THE WINTER: The Falcons are 21-8 during the month of January over the last four seasons. The Falcons are 6-1 in January this season. They've outscored their opponents 548-462 over that seven 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 hosted the 2010 Alumni Men's Basketball game. 18 former NDC players returned to college road for the 5th annual alumni game, to face this year's JV team.

HAPPY TO BE HOME: The Falcons went 11-4 at home a year ago and are now 9-2 on College Road this season. NDC is 47-17 (.734) on their home floor over the last three seasons (2007-10). The Falcons have outscored their opponents 398-324 over their five game home winning streak.