SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame Falcons were able to hang with the No. 1 ranked (NAIA-II) Cavaliers for a good portion of Saturday's contest, but in the end, Walsh caught fire from beyond the arc, and came away with an 84-74 victory. (Box)

For the Falcons (9-15, 4-8), the loss extends their home losing streak to five games, and gives them losses in three out of their last five. For the Cavaliers (24-0, 13-0) the victory marks their 24th in a row to remain unbeaten atop the NAIA-II ranks, and gives them eight straight victories over the Falcons.

Both teams made strong runs in the first half, as the game remained extremely close through the opening stanza. The Falcons were red hot at the start, taking an 8-2 lead four minutes into the contest. Notre Dame was up, 14-10, at the 12:44-mark, but the Cavaliers responded by going on a 12-3 run over the next four and a half minutes, to take a 22-17 lead.

The Falcons and Cavaliers both had trouble shooting in the first half, as the Falcons were held to a 40.9 percent (9-for-22) clip, and the Cavaliers shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32). Despite being outrebounded, 24-14 in the first half, the Falcons went to the foul line quite a bit, and took advantage of their opportunities from the stripe, hitting 81.8 percent (9-for-11) of their shots from the foul line, and found themselves down, 33-28 at the half.

The Cavaliers caught fire early on the second half, and scored eight of the first 11 points of the second stanza. In addition, while Walsh made just 23.1 percent (3-for-13) of their 3-pointers in the first half, they connected on seven of their first nine 3-balls over the first 10 minutes of the second half, and led by as many as 22 (67-45).

Notre Dame did not go quietly, as they battled the Cavaliers over the game's final six minutes. The Falcons were down, 71-50, at the 5:55-mark, and went on a 17-4 run over the next four minutes, pulling within eight points (75-67) at the 1:45-mark on #Eric Dummermuth#'s tip in, but were not able to draw any closer.

#Eric Dummermuth# led the Falcons with 26 points on the strength of an 11-for-12 shooting performance from free throw line, and he delivered his 17th double-double of the season, by pulling down 13 rebounds. There were three other Falcons in double figures, including #Curtis McClure# who scored 14 points, while #Taylor Rieger# and Rodney Mickens both scored a dozen. Notre Dame shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the floor, and hit on 72.0 percent (18-for-25) of their free throws.


“I thought our guys battled very well against a great team this afternoon,” said Head Coach #Kevin Bille#. “We played well and hung with those guys, but at the same time it was disappointing not to come away with a win.”

The Blue & White will stay at home for their next game. The Falcons will face the Cougars of Mount Vernon Nazarene in another AMC tilt, on Tuesday, Feb. 8. The contest is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST:

RANK 'EM: Saturday's tilt marked the fifth time this season that the Falcons have faced an opponent ranked in the NAIA-II Top-25 Coaches Poll. . The Falcons are a combined 0-5 against Top-25 opponents this season. The Falcons led at halftime against then No. 25 Siena Heights (Mich.) on Nov. 19, but fell 82-75. Notre Dame played well but fell to then No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan, 73-61, on Dec. 17. The Falcons outscored Walsh in the second half of their first meeting back on Jan. 8, but lost 83-69. 11 days ago, Notre Dame led No. 17 Malone by as many as 10 in the second half, but the Pioneers rallied in the second stanza and defeated the Falcons, 65-62.

DUELING WITH WALSH: The Cavaliers and Falcons have locked horns nine times in the all time series. Walsh has won all nine games, including six on their home floor, dating back to 2001. The two teams faced each other just three times between 2001-07, but they have seen quite a bit of each other recently. Saturday's meeting was their sixth meeting over the last two years.

HOMEWORK: Saturday's matinee marked the beginning of a four game home stretch for the Falcons. Of their remaining six games on the 2010-11 slate, four of those will be played at home. Their only two remaining road tests are at Malone on Feb. 15, and Cedarville on Feb. 19.