Canton, Ohio -- #Yvette Hunter# scored 18 points , #Tracy Payne# provided 10 points, and #Chelsea Andorka# added 10 points, six assists, five steals, and four rebounds to help Notre Dame beat Malone 86-44 on Tuesday night. (Box)

The second straight win moved Notre Dame to 11-4 in league play heading into its final game with Cedarville on Saturday Feb. 19.

Andorka missed out on tying her career highs in assists and steals by one a piece, while the Falcons got a lift off the bench from freshman guard #Danielle Ledrich# and freshman center #Erin Entighe#. The two first year Falcons played with confidence and poise each nearly recording double figure games. Ledrich provided nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from behind the 3-point line. She also collected three rebounds and provided two assists. Entighe converted all four foul shots to finish with eight points.

Senior forward #Kealy McNally# went 3-for-7 from the field, but stayed aggressive and wound up with six points and a team high five rebounds.

Notre Dame (21-8, 11-4 AMC) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first 1:08. #Chelsea Andorka# made back-to-back baskets after McNally opened the scoring to put the Falcons up early.


Sarah Vanvooris added 10 points for the Pioneers (8-20, 4-11 AMC), who have now lost 10 of the last 12 games to the Falcons.

Notre Dame extended their lead to 15 (22-7), on a jumper by Hunter with 13:05 to play in the first, but Malone's VanVoorhis answered right back with a layup of her own, trimming the lead to 13.

"Yvette got great looks, took her time, and I thought, defensively, she did a great job," Notre Dame coach #Dick Deasy# said.

The Pioneers would battle the Falcons over the next three minutes as the teams traded turnovers and baskets before #Ashanti McLeod#'s layup put Notre Dame up 32-14. #Lauren Macer# nailed a 3-pointer to increase their lead to 45-23 with 1:34. VanVooris would convert a pair of free throws to conclude the opening half scoring with 1:17 on the clock sending the teams into the locker room with the Falcons holding a commanding 45-25 lead.

Notre Dame entered the locker room with a 20 point advantage without making a single trip to the foul line in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Malone cut Notre Dame's lead to 18 (45-27) in the opening 11 seconds of the second half on a layup by Tyler Darland. That would be the closest the Pioneers would get as the Falcons responded with a 17-3 run capped by a layup by Macer with 13:34 putting the Falcons up 62-30.

Notre Dame would close the game with a 24-14 run as coach Deasy utilized 16 players. The Falcons would receive solid contributions from their bench, outscoring the Pioneers bench 27-14 to win 86-44.

Notre Dame shot 53.7 percent (36-for- 67) from the field for the game and made 8-for-11 at the line, all in the second half. The Falcons made 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from behind the 3-point line while holding Malone to 11.5 percent (3-for-26). Defensively, Notre Dame turned up the pressure, forcing 24 turnovers and turning those into 12 points.

Notre Dame remains on the road this weekend for their regular season finale when they travel to Cedarville to take on the Lady Jackets at 5:30 p.m. ET.


NOTES FROM THE NEST….

GOOD FOR 3-HUNDRED: Head Coach #Dick Deasy# coached his 300th game as the bench boss for the Falcons on Tuesday night against the Pioneers. The programs winningest coach in program history, both in terms of wins (181) and winning percentage (.603).

ROAD PAYNE: Sophomore guard #Tracy Payne# has been the Falcons most dynamic road performer, averaging 12.8 PPG, compared to 7.6 PPG at the Murph. The Danville, Ohio, native is 40-for-92 (.435) from the floor on the road. She's also shooting 51.6 percent (16-for-31) behind the 3-point line and 84.2 percent (32-for-38) from the foul line away from College Road.

FROZEN FEBRUARY: NDC is 6-13 (.315) in the second month of the calendar year since the 2008-09 season. A year ago, Notre Dame went 2-5 in February en route to losing six of its last nine games to finish the season with a 15-13 mark. After suffering their longest home losing streak since 2009 when they dropped games on Jan. 30, 31, and Feb. 7, the Falcons have rebounded to win the last two this season and are now 3-3 this season.