SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame held Wilberforce to a 32.3 percent (20-for-62) mark from the floor, as the Falcons topped the Bulldogs, 75-56, in American Mideast Conference action on Tuesday. (Box)

#Eric Dummermuth# notched 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and #Al Miller# scored a game-high 22 points, as Notre Dame (16-6, 8-1 AMC) won for a fourth time in a row, with all four coming in conference play. NDC has won eight of its last nine overall and six straight at home.

For Wilberforce (8-13, 2-7 AMC), the loss marked their third in a row and fifth in their last six games.

The Falcons held Wilberforce to just 20 field goals in the game, while collecting seven blocks (four for McFarlane) and eight steals with a ball-hawking defense. The Falcons have now held foes under 60 points eight times this season.

Wilberforce started Tuesday's game by missing six of their first seven attempts from the field. The Falcons took advantage of that spell, and when #Phil Biggs# converted on a three-point play at 15:34, NDC had built up a 10-2 lead.

The first half was dominated by defense at both ends of the floor, but the Bulldogs gradually chipped away at the Notre Dame lead and got within four (26-22) by the five-minute mark. The Falcons finished strong however - they went on a 7-2 run to close out the first frame with 35-28 lead.

Dummermuth paced Notre Dame at both ends of the floor in the first, garnering 14 points and nine rebounds. The Falcon defense held the Bulldogs to a 28.1 percent (9-for-32) mark from the floor in the first.

In the second half, Notre Dame came out and hit the Bulldogs with an explosive 17-0 run to take a 24-point lead (52-28) by the 16-minute mark. WU didn't score until the 15:05-mark when guard Timothy Giles hit a three from the right wing. Giles would hit five treys in the game and lead Wilberforce in scoring, with 17 points.

By the midpoint of the second, the Falcons still held a twenty-something lead. In the first 10 minutes of the second, several steals paved the way for easy baskets for Notre Dame, which hit 12 of its first 17 in the period. The endgame played out until NDC had closed out the 19-point win, its largest margin of victory since Jan. 8. 

"The guys came out strong in the second half," said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#.  "We got the job done at both ends of the floor and were aggressive."

Miller scored his season-high 22 on a 9-for-16 performance from the field. The Fort Pierce, Fla. native drilled four treys in the game.

For Dummermuth, his 19 and 12 spelled double-double number 14 this season. He came into Tuesday's game averaging 23.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Guard #Nick McCartney# tallied 15 points and was a force for NDC at both ends of the floor. Phil Biggs and #Karim McFarlane# also had active games for the Falcons. Biggs had seven points, eight boards, three assists and three blocks. McFarlane had six points, six rebounds and five assists to go with his four blocked shots. McFarlane's five assists are the most he's collected in a game since Jan. 13, 2009.

The Falcons' next game will be on Thursday, when NDC hosts the Pioneers of Point Park University (Pa.). Tip-off in what will be the second half of an AMC women's-men's twin bill is slated for 8 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

CHARITY CASE: Eric Dummermuth came into Tuesday night's game as having already set new single-season NDC records for free throws made (139) and attempted (187) this season. Dummermuth is getting to the line an average of 8.9 times per game in 2009-10, connecting on 74.3 percent of his free throws. That percentage is up from the 69.5 percent (124-for-174) he shot in his 2008-09 freshman campaign. … Earlier on Tuesday, Dummermuth was named the AMC Player of the Week for his three-game performance last week. The sophomore from Dover, Ohio, has won the award five times this season. He came into Tuesday's game ranked second in the AMC in scoring, at 23.0 points per game.

THIS JUST IN: Last Saturday's (Jan. 23) NDC victory over Houghton (N.Y.) marked the 100th career win for Head Coach Kevin Bille. Bille has been at the helm of NDC men's hoops since 2003. With Tuesday's result, he now owns a career record of 101-103 (.495), and his Falcon teams are 68-47 (.591) since '06.