SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame Falcons battled hard against a talented NCAA-II Findlay squad that won 22 games a year ago before falling, 70-64, on Saturday. (Box)

A swarming Falcon defense forced Findlay into 25 turnovers for the game, as Notre Dame went toe-to-toe with last year's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division champs. The visiting Oilers overcame the slew of turnovers by shooting 69.6 percent (16-for-23) from the floor in the second half, as the Falcons (1-1) played their first game of the season at Murphy Gymnasium.

Freshman center #Erin Entinghe# scored 14 points and sophomore guard #Lauren Macer# added 11 in what was a balanced scoring effort for the Falcons. Ten NDC players scored in the game, which was played before an energetic crowd of 338 fans at Murphy Gymnasium.

The game those fans witnessed was a hard-fought battle featuring sixties and eight lead changes throughout. The host Falcons went into halftime with a one-point lead (30-29) over an Oiler team that went 22-9 a year ago and was playing in its season opener. Starting at the 17:04-mark in the second, Findlay (1-0) went on an 11-3 run to take a 46-38 lead. Midway through the second half, though, the Falcons began chipping away at that lead.

A 7-0 run with baskets by #Tracy Payne#, Entinghe and #Kealy McNally# gave NDC a 55-54 lead at 5:54. The Oilers, however, would answer with a 7-0 run of their own and reclaim a six-point advantage on the Murphy Gymnasium scoreboard. The Falcons got as close as three points (66-63) in the waning moments of the game, but the Oilers manage to escape South Euclid avoiding an upset loss to start the season.

“I thought the girls fought hard,” said Head Coach #Dick Deasy#. “I'm very proud of the effort I saw here today, especially from our young players. We had some freshmen grow up today right before our eyes.”

One of those freshmen was Entinghe, who tallied her 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The newcomer from Avon, Ohio, was also effective at the defensive end for NDC as were most of the nine players who logged double-digit minutes for Deasy on Saturday afternoon. The Falcon defense combined to force 25 turnovers, many of which came at key moments to fuel NDC rallies. In two games this season, the Blue & White have now forced 56 turnovers.

With that high-pressure defense, NDC was able to stay close to Findlay despite the Oilers holding a substantial edge in field-goal accuracy: UF shot 54.9 percent (28-for-51); Notre Dame shot 34.8 percent (24-for-69).

The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 16, when they travel to Delaware, Ohio, to take on the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.