NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- Notre Dame's 2009-10 season came to a halt Tuesday night when the Falcons lost to Walsh in the first round of the American Mideast Conference Tournament. The host Cavaliers beat NDC by a final score of 76-65.  (Box)

Junior forward Katie Berry led Walsh (22-9) with a game-high 34 points on a night when the Notre Dame five battled injuries and inconsistency in addition to an already-tough opponent in the 20-win Cavaliers.

Notre Dame (15-13) was led by #Chelsea Andorka# (13 points), #Alex Dackin# (12 points) and #Taryn Wicks# (12 points, four assists).

The game marked a return engagement between the Falcons and Cavaliers - the teams met last Saturday (Feb. 20) in their regular-season finale, also played at Walsh's Alumni Arena. Notre Dame won that game in thrilling fashion, toppling Walsh, 10-97, in three overtimes. Tuesday's game also marked the beginning of a big week of basketball between the Falcons and Cavaliers - NDC and WU will meet in the AMC Men's Basketball Championship Game on Saturday, Feb. 27 (Murphy Gymnasium, 4 p.m.).

With their win, Walsh - the No. 3 seed in the AMC Tournament - now advances in the bracket to face the winner of Tuesday's Houghton (N.Y.)-Shawnee State game.

In Tuesday's game, Notre Dame and Walsh played evenly in the opening minutes, with neither side able to open up a significant advantage. When Andorka hit a jumper at 9:50, NDC led, 16-15. Walsh then went on a 7-2 run and that momentum carried the Cavaliers to a 33-26 halftime lead.

Notre Dame shot just 34.4 percent (11-for-32) in the first and was out-rebounded, 26-16. Many of those WU rebounds led to points - the Cavaliers had 17 second-chance points in the opening stanza.

The Falcons scored the first three points of the second half, but then Walsh took advantage of a number of NDC turnovers to run their lead to 10 on a Cara Bedard jumper at 13:57.

The Blue & White would whittle away gradually at the Cavaliers and eventually got within five at the three-minute mark. But the home squad was solid at the free-throw line in the closing minutes, and Walsh was able to close out the victory. Berry was 13-of-13 at the line, hitting six of those in the last three minutes of play. As a team, the Cavaliers were 23-of-25 (92.0 percent) from the stripe.

Berry's 34 points were tallied on 10 field goals (one 3-pointer) and the 13 free throws. The point total is a new career-high for her.

Notre Dame wound up shooting 40.0 percent (24-for-60) for the game, while Walsh shot 41.9 percent (21-for-62). Free throws and rebounding were difference-makers for the Cavaliers. WU made 23 free throws to NDC's 15. Walsh out-rebounded Notre Dame, 45-31.

For the Cavaliers, Tuesday's win runs their record at home this season to 13-3. The Falcons fell to 6-8 on the road, and Notre Dame's season ends with that loss.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

FEBRUARY FIZZLE: Despite their big win at Walsh last Saturday, NDC had a disappointing final few weeks to the season. Notre Dame finished the season by going just 1-5 over its last six games. NDC went 2-5 in the month of February; the Falcons are 3-9 in February over the last two seasons. … The Falcons final record marks their lowest winning percentage (.536) since 2002-03, when the team went 10-19 (.345). … NDC was out-rebounded in each of its last seven games.

THREE-FALL: Notre Dame went 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) beyond the arc on Tuesday. Over their last six games, the Falcons hit just 22.9 percent (22-for-83) from 3-point range. … NDC is now 3-11 against Walsh since 1999.

RECORD 15-FOOTERS: Notre Dame went 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) from the foul line against Walsh. The 2009-10 Falcons shot 72.3 percent (418-for-578) for the year; that sets a new program mark for free-throw accuracy. … #Tracy Payne# was NDC's leader among players with 50 or more attempts at the line. The freshman from Danville, Ohio, finished the season with a 77.6 percent (45-for-58) mark on uncontested 15-footers.