SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The leader in the clubhouse need wait no more. After leading the American Mideast Conference North Division for most of the season, Notre Dame clinched the North crown on Tuesday with a 78-69 victory over Daemen (N.Y.).  (Box)

Sophomore point guard #Nick McCartney# had a stellar game, scoring a season-high 27 points for Notre Dame (19-9, 11-4 AMC) which ran its record at home this season to 13-2.

With the loss, Daemen (15-12, 7-7) has dropped three of their last four games.

McCartney scored 17 second-half points and drilled four treys on the night. The Newton Falls, Ohio, native also corralled six rebounds.

NDC came into Tuesday's game against the Wildcats with a 1-1/2 game lead over Malone in the AMC North. The division crown is their second - Notre Dame also won the North in 2007-08; the Falcons have never won a conference title.

Notre Dame was dominant in the early moments of the game, opening up a 14-3 lead by the 16:30-mark with a mix of excellent defense and solid execution in transition. The Wildcats closed the gap, though, and got the game back to even (18-18) by the 10-minute mark.

The Falcons then went on a 14-5 run to take a 32-23 lead by 3:43. A jumper by Eric Dummermuth at 0:06 sent NDC into their locker room with a 38-33 lead. That bucket was just the second of the half for Dummermuth, who scored four points in the first 20 minutes of action. McCartney tallied 10 first-half points for the Falcons, who forced 13 turnovers in the first.

In the second stanza, NDC opened up a double-digit lead (49-39) on a Dummermuth trey at 14:34. The Falcons would hold that lead throughout the final 15 minutes, with Daemen only getting as close as six points in the final minute of play.

McCartney scored his 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Three other Falcons - Eric Dummermuth, #Curtis McClure# and #Al Miller# - also found double figures in the scoring column. Dummermuth also grabbed 10 rebounds. Senior center #Karim McFarlane# also had a solid game - he had nine points, 10 boards and a pair of blocked shots.

Notre Dame was out-rebounded, 42-35, but a stout Falcon defense forced 18 turnovers which fueled an effective NDC fast break throughout the game. Al Miller had a game-high four steals.

Notre Dame will close out their 2009-10 regular season with a 4 p.m. tilt on Saturday, Feb. 20, against the No. 1 team in the nation (NAIA Coaches' poll) - the Cavaliers of Walsh University. That game figures to be a prelude to what now comes next for the Falcons, the 2010 AMC Championship Game.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

SENIOR SALUTE: Tuesday evening was Senior Night for the NDC Men's Basketball program. Notre Dame recognized their four varsity seniors - #Cory Emerine#, Karim McFarlane, Al Miller and #Danny Wright# - prior to the start of their game against the Wildcats. Coming into Tuesday's game, that veteran quartet had logged a combined 5,073 minutes in 273 games for the Blue & White. They had combined to score 1,954 points.

A WIN TO TIE: By winning their 19th game of the season on Tuesday, NDC ties their program record for victories in a season. The Falcons went 19-12 last year and 19-14 in 2006-07. … NDC men's hoops is 71-50 (.587) since 2006.

WHAT THE WIN MEANS: Notre Dame will host the AMC Championship Game against either Cedarville or Walsh, whichever finishes as the AMC South champion. Top-ranked Walsh currently owns a one-game lead on Cedarville in the South standings. The Falcons would host the Championship Game by way of having faced both the Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers on the road during the regular season. The Championship Game, the spoils of which include an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament, is slated for Saturday, Feb. 27. … The loser of the AMC Championship game gets a second crack at qualifying for the national tournament - that team will go into the final game of a four-team AMC qualifying tournament. (The AMC has two automatic bids to the national tournament.)