Box Score GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Notre Dame closed out its 2012 calendar year with a 71-61 loss at Seton Hill (Pa.) on Saturday.

The Falcons (2-10) battled back after falling behind by 15 points in the first half before eventually dropping their third straight game.  Seton Hill (7-4) shot a robust 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the floor in winning its seventh straight game.

The host Griffins worked their way to a 33-18 lead by the 3:54-mark in the first.  Seton Hill had runs of 5-0, 7-0 and 9-0 in building that 15-point advantage.  Notre Dame would whittle that lead to five early in the second half, but SHU hung on for the win on the strength of good shooting and a significant edge on the boards.

Senior guard Lauren Macer tallied a game-high 17 points in the loss.

The Griffins trailed, 6-4, early before going on a 5-0 run.  Threes by Katie Stumphauzer and Macer aided NDC in a mid-half rally, but starting at the 10-minute mark, SHU went on a 19-4 run.  That stretch proved to be a key six minutes of game action.

Late in the first, Alexa Tropiano keyed a 10-2 run for the Falcons.  Tropiano scored three baskets in that spurt, and NDC went into halftime trailing by seven (35-28).  Tropiano finished the game with eight points and six rebounds.

A pair of early treys helped the Griffins extend their lead early in the second, but Erin Entinghe then led a charge for the Falcons that brought them back to within five (47-42) by the 15:38-mark.

Seton Hill then reestablished a double-digit lead by the mid-point of the half.  Notre Dame twice got as close as six points the rest of the way, but the home five was able to preserve what amounted to its seventh straight victory with a solid finish.

The Griffins outscored the Falcons by 10 points (14-4) at the foul line and doubled up NDC, 10-5, in second-chance points.  Those put-back baskets were part of an afternoon that saw Seton Hill out-rebound the Falcons, 45-36.

Katie Gattuso led a group of four SHU players finishing with double figures in the scoring column.  Gattuso went 6-of-11 from the floor, 4-for-4 at the line and hauled down a game-high 16 rebounds.

Macer's 17 points were part of a stat line that included three assists and four steals on the day.  Courtney Clark added five steals in a game that saw NDC force 16 turnovers against just nine of its own.  Erin Entinghe finished the game with 10 points and five boards.  As a team Notre Dame shot 35.7 percent (25-of-70) from the field.  The Falcons went to the free-throw line just six times, a season low.

With Saturday's loss, NDC is now 1-6 on the road this season.

The Falcons are slated to kick off the 2013 portion of their schedule when they visit Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) on Jan. 5 (2 p.m. tip).