SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio --The No. 1 (NAIA Coaches' Poll) Walsh Cavaliers took control early on in Saturday's American Mideast Conference Championship game, outscoring the Falcons 18-7 over the first five minutes of the contest, and came away with an 85-57 victory to capture the AMC Championship . (Box)

The Falcons (19-11), have now lost five out of their last seven games, and are now 0-7 all time against Walsh. The loss was also their first against a conference opponent at Murphy Gymnasium this season.

For the top ranked Cavaliers (28-2), the victory was their ninth in a row, and marks their sixth consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.

Unlike last week, Notre Dame was ice cold to start the contest, while Walsh was red hot. The Cavaliers buried six out of their first nine shots, while NDC hit on just 30 percent (3) of their first ten field goals. The Cavaliers nailed a trio of 3-pointers over the game's first five and a half minutes, and found themselves with a comfortable 18-7 lead at the 14:15-mark.

Things didn't improve much for the Falcons throughout the duration of the first half. They shot the ball a little better, hitting on 45.0 percent (9) of 20 shots through the rest of the half, but Walsh remained hot, and shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the opening stanza, on 16-for-32 shooting. Lamar Skeeter's layup at the buzzer gave Walsh the lead, 47-32, heading into the locker room. Ricky Jackson scored 22 of Walsh's 47 first half points, and the Cavaliers made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe, shooting 91.7 percent (11-for-12), and committed just one turnover in the first half.

The Cavaliers maintained control of the contest, by scoring the first six points of the second half, and went up 53-32 on Jeremy Shardo's 3-pointer just two minutes into the half. The Cavaliers buried four of their first five shots from the floor in the second stanza, while the Falcons shot just 25.0 percent (2-for-8) over the first five minutes of the second half. Walsh led by as many as 30 (75-45) in the second half.

#Eric Dummermuth# paced the Falcons with 15 points and eight rebounds, while #Curtis McClure# added 11 points. For the game, Notre Dame shot 34.5 percent (20-for-58) from the floor, 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from 3-point land and 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from the free throw line.

Jackson's 33 points and 10 rebounds led the way for the Cavaliers, and Skeeter added 20 points. Walsh shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the floor for the game.

The Blue & White will get a second chance to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament on Tuesday, March 2, when they host Cedarville in the final round of the AMC Qualifying Tournament. Tip-off at Murphy Gymnasium is set for 7:30 pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST:

CLASHING WITH THE CAVALIERS: The Falcons are now 0-7 all time against Walsh, dating back to the 2001 season. Saturday's contest marked the third post season matchup between the two teams. The previous five games had been played at Walsh, and of the seven games in the all-time series, five have been decided by 10 or more points. The Falcons have yet to score more than 70 points in a contest against the Cavaliers.

HOME SWEET HOME: The loss snapped Notre Dame's eight-game home win streak. The Falcons have shot 49.1 percent (105-for-231) over their last four games at Murphy Gymnasium, while holding their opponents to a 39.0 percent clip on 108-for-260 shooting.

FIRST HALF SUCCESS ON CAMPUS: The Falcons have outscored their opponents in the first half, 181-151, over their last five home games. During that stretch, the Falcons shot 46.4 percent (72-for-155) from the floor in the opening stanza, while holding the opposition to a 35.4 percent clip (56-for-158).

STRIPE STRUGGLES: For the season, the Falcons are shooting 68.2 (479-for-702) 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've hit on 64.7 percent (77-for-119) of their free throws over their last six games.