NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- A red hot start for the Notre Dame Falcons was not enough on Saturday afternoon, as they lost a nine point lead in the first half, and fell on the road to No. 1 Walsh (NAIA Coaches' Poll), 86-64, in a preview of next Saturday's American Mideast Conference Championship game. (Box)

The Falcons (19-10, 11-5), already wrapped up the North Division Title on Tuesday night with their 78-69 victory over Daemen (N.Y.), but the loss was their fourth in their last six games, and it was their fourth consecutive setback on the road.

For the top ranked Cavaliers (27-2, 15-1), the victory secured the AMC South crown, and they have earned the right to play the Falcons again, next Saturday, Feb. 27, for an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The Cavaliers have either won outright or shared the AMC Title for a record, five straight seasons.

Notre Dame was red hot out of the gate, nailing six out of their first eight shots, and found themselves ahead of Walsh, 11-2, at the 15:49-mark. The Falcons maintained that lead for the next seven and a half minutes, but after #Phil Biggs# buried a jumper at the 8:21-mark to give the Falcons a 25-16 lead, NDC went ice cold, missing their next five shots, allowing the Cavaliers to get back in the game. Walsh went on a 21-2 run to end the half, and went into the locker room with a 37-27 lead.

Walsh completely dominated the second half, shooting 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the floor, 50.0 percent from 3-point land on 5-of-10 shooting, and led by as many as 24 points. #Al Miller# hit a jumper at the 18:38 mark in the second half to cut the deficit to eight (40-32), but Walsh scored the game's next six points, and held a double digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

The Falcons had four players in double figures. Miller and #Eric Dummermuth# paced the Falcons with 14 points apiece, while #Nick McCartney# added 11 and Biggs dumped in 10. Dummermuth and Biggs led the Falcons with six rebounds. For the game, Notre Dame shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the floor, 30.8 percent (4-for-13) from 3-point land and 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from the free throw line.

Jeremy Shardo led the way for the Cavaliers with 29 points, and Ricky Jackson added 20. Kyelce Cescato tallied 11 rebounds for Walsh. Walsh shot 52.5 percent (32-for-61) from the floor for the game.

“I thought we played very well in spurts,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “We have to figure out how to do that for 40 minutes when we see those guys next week. It will be a challenge, but our guys will be up for it.”

The Blue & White will return to action at home next Saturday, Feb. 27, with a chance to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament. The Falcons will welcome the Champions of the AMC's Southern Division, the Walsh Cavaliers to Murphy Gymnasium. The matchup will mark Walsh's first trip to College Road since Dec. 4, 2001. Tip-off for the AMC Championship tilt is scheduled for 4:00 pm. 


NOTES FROM THE NEST:

CONQUERING THE CAVALIERS: The Falcons are 0-6 all time against Walsh, dating back to the 2001 season. The last five games have been played at Walsh, and of the six games in the series, four have been decided by 10 or more points.

FINAL FIVE: In their final five games of the regular season, the Falcons went 2-3. During that stretch, they shot 44.9 percent (129-for-287) from the floor, 33.8 percent (21-for-62) from 3-point land, and 67.8 percent (74-for-109) from the free throw line.

STRIPE HYPE: For the season, the Falcons shot 68.9 (468-for-679) percent from the free throw line. However, the Falcons went 6-3 in games where they shot 75.0 percent or better from the charity stripe. They hit on 67.8 percent (66-for-96) of their free throws over their last five games.

PREVIEWING THE REMATCH: The Cavaliers will enter the AMC Championship next Saturday on an eight game winning streak. Walsh defeated Notre Dame, 76-66, in their only meeting at Murphy Gymnasium a little over eight years ago. The Falcons went 13-2 at home during the regular season, and had an 8-0 record in conference games on College Road. Over their last two games at home, the Falcons shot 49.5 percent (54-for-109) from the floor. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament, while the loser will host the Championship game of the AMC Qualifying tournament, which includes four non-division winners. That contest takes on March. 2