Box Score
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. -- The Notre Dame Falcons dropped a high scoring contest in their 2013-14 lid lifter on Friday evening, in a 102-84 setback against Winston Salem State. 

The loss marked the first time that the Falcons (0-1) lost their season opener since the 2010-11 season. The No. 21 Rams (1-0), who finished the 2012-13 season with an incredible 21-7 record, have lost just once in their last 14 games at home. 

Notre Dame was able to hang with the Rams in the early stages of the game.  In the opening half, neither side was able to take a lead larger than seven over the first 10 minutes of the contest. 

The Falcons were down just one (25-24) when the Rams really began to heat up, and created a lot of separation between themselves and the Falcons.  The Rams kickstarted a 17-4 run halfway through the opening half, and took a 42-28 advantage with just five minutes left in the opening stanza. 

WSSU controlled the final five minutes of the half, and took a 57-44 lead into the locker room at the break.  The Rams just could not miss in the first 20 minutes of the game, hitting 60.0-percent (18-for-30) of their shots from the floor, which included a 52.9-percent clip (9-for-17) from beyond the arc.

The beginning of the second half essentially did the Falcons in, as WSSU went on a 17-4 run to begin the half, and eventually mounted an 89-60 advantage with 7:09 remaining in the contest to pull away. 

The Falcons did not go down quietly though.  They were able to bring the deficit down to 12 (92-80) with 2:39 to play, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way. 

On the night, the Falcons shot 46.3-percent (31-for-67) from the floor, but had a hard time connecting from long distance, hitting just 27.8-percent (5-for-18) from 3-point land. 

Lawrence DeArmond led the Falcons with 25 points on the night, and added a trio of assists to go along with a pair of offensive rebounds.  Jarvis Huntley added 15 points, four steals and secured four rebounds while Tyree Gaiter scored 10 points and added four assists.  Geovonte Rose was Notre Dame's leading rebounder, with seven boards on the evening. 

The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Nov. 10, when they take on Fayetteville State (N.C.), in Winston Salem, N.C.  Tipoff is schedule for 6 p.m.