Box Score INSTITUTE, W.Va. –The Notre Dame Falcons finished a perfect opening weekend in a high-scoring affair on Sunday, with a 112-99 victory over Virginia-Union.
For the Falcons (2-0) the victory marks their first 2-0 start since the 2009-10 season, where they won seven in a row to start the year, while the loss for Virginia Union (1-1) comes one day after they defeated the hosts of the tournament, West Virginia State, 76-71.
Notre Dame was remarkably efficient, and very active defensively, as they forced quite a few early turnovers which allowed them to establish a large lead in the opening half, on an afternoon where six Falcons scored in double figures.
Notre Dame set the tone early on, as freshman guard
Jay Banyasz scored the game's first six points to give NDC the early advantage. The Falcons were relentless on the offensive glass, as they kept possessions alive by grabbing five offensive rebounds, which produced seven second chance points over the first six minutes of the contest. They also forced three turnovers during that stretch to take an 18-11 lead. They were able to endure some solid shooting from Virginia Union early on, as they hit 55.6-percent (5-for-9) of their shots over the first six minutes.
Over the next few minutes, the Falcons were able to add to their lead, as they found themselves ahead, 31-19, with 9:02 remaining. Banyasz had nine points early on, while
Tyree Gaiter had five assists over the first 10 minutes of the game without any turnovers. Defensive pressure from Notre Dame continued to create opportunities, as they forced seven turnovers over the first 11 minutes and got seven points from those turnovers.
Notre Dame was able to maintain control of the contest through the duration of the opening half, as they went into the locker room with a 54-39 halftime lead. Over the final nine minutes of the half, the Falcons continued to find open shots, as they shot the ball exceptionally well, hitting 51.2-percent (22-for-43) of their shots from the floor for the half.
The Falcons had 11 assists to just six turnovers, while they created 11 first half turnovers and scored 13 points off of those. NDC had three scorers in double figures at the half, as Banyasz and
Will Vorhees finished the half with 11, and
Lawrence DeArmond finished with 13.
Things didn't change much at the beginning of the second half. Notre Dame remained hot from the floor, as they hit on 47.0-percent (8-for-17) of their shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes of the half, and they really heated up from 3-point land, where they buried 4-of-7 (57.1-percent) during that stretch as well, and they found themselves ahead, 80-60 with 9:53 remaining.
Over the final 10 minutes, the Panthers went on a little run, and they were able to dive into the deficit, which had gotten as large as 23 (63-40), but despite their best efforts, the Panthers were not able to draw any closer than 10 (100-90). Notre Dame was able to endure the Panthers' second half surge, because they shot very well at the charity stripe, shooting 81.4-percent (22-of-27) from the free throw line in the second half.
DeArmond led the way for Notre Dame with 23 points, to go along with six assists and four steals. Vorhees and
Najeeb Johnson both turned in their first double-doubles of the season. Johnson had 22 points and 11 boards, while Vorhees also added 22 with 10 rebounds.
Kyauta Taylor finished the game with 18 points and four assists, while Gaiter led the Falcons with seven assists to go along with 14 points, and Banyasz finished the game with 11 points.
The Falcons are in action again on Wednesday, Nov. 19, when they head to Columbus, Ohio, to square off against Ohio Dominican. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
