Box Score
SALEM, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame Falcons let a 21-point lead slip away on Saturday afternoon, as they fell to the Tigers of Salem International (W.Va.), 95-93, falling in the final seconds of the game. 

The loss for the Falcons (9-13) was their first on the road since dropping a 91-76 decision at Washington Adventist on Jan. 26. The victory for the Tigers (10-16) snapped a season long, seven game losing streak.

Notre Dame was ahead, 34-13 in the first half, and led by 11 at the break, but the Tigers mounted a comeback in the second half, and won the game on a contested layup with just over two seconds remaining. 

The opening 10 minutes belonged to the Falcons.  NDC did a fantastic job of moving the ball around to find the open man, distributing 11 assists, on their way to shooting 54.5-percent (12-for-22) during that stretch, and took a commanding, 28-11 lead, with 9:48 remaining.

Conversely, the Tigers just couldn't find their mark in the first 10 minutes of the game. They were held to just two points over the first five and a half minutes, putting them in a hole right away. They committed 11 turnovers during that same stretch where the Falcons distributed 11 assists, while shooting just 25.0-percent (5-for-20) from the floor.

SIU was able to shave a few points off that 17-point deficit in the final portion of the first half, as they began to shoot the ball a little better.  Over the final nine minutes and 48-seconds of the half, they narrowed the deficit to 11 (46-35), and shot 41.1-percent (7-for-17) during that stretch to close the gap a bit.

The Falcons had an outstanding first half.  Defensively, they forced 15 turnovers, and came away with nine steals, and that led to a lot of opportunities on the offensive end.  NDC shot 56.2-percent (18-for-32) in the opening stanza, and hit 88.8-percent (8) of their nine free throws in the first half.

Things changed quickly at the beginning of the second half.  Notre Dame was up 11 (55-44) with 17:43 remaining, when the Tigers kick started a 15-2 run over the next two and a half minutes, and took a 59-57 advantage after Walter Brock hit a pair of free throws. 

SIU's lead grew to five (64-59) over the next minute, as the Falcons just weren't able to find their mark.  The Falcons did respond, and over the next three and a half minutes, they scored six straight points, on a run that was capped by Lawrence DeArmond's dunk at the 11:50-mark to give NDC a 65-64 advantage.

The two teams went back and forth the rest of the game, with neither side being able to take a sizeable advantage.  It came down to the final seconds of the contest.  SIU nailed a contested shot in the paint with just over two seconds remaining to take the lead.  After a timeout, Notre Dame had one last chance to score, but Kalomo Figueroa-Jackson's shot at the buzzer didn't fall.

Despite the loss, NDC shot very well on the night, connecting on 52.3-percent (34-for-64) of their shots from the floor, but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 22.2-percent (4-for-18) of their 3-pointers.

Five Falcons scored in double figures, including Tyree Gaiter, who turned in his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists.  Dummermuth led the way for NDC in scoring with 26 points, while DeArmond dumped in 22 to go along with a team high, seven rebounds.  Figueroa-Jackson scored 13 on the afternoon and Jarvis Huntley had 10.

The Falcons will be in action again on Wednesday, Feb. 20, when they host Urbana at Murphy Gymnasium.  The contest is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m.