Box Score
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons put together a respectable second half run on Thursday night, but ultimately fell short in their comeback effort, falling to Shepherd, 90-81.

For the Falcons (9-12, 7-8 MEC) the loss snapped a three-game winning streak) while the victory for the  Rams (14-6, 9-5) snapped a brief two-game slide, and avenged a loss to the Falcons earlier this season.

Notre Dame trailed by as many as 19 (64-45) halfway through the second half, but managed to pull within four (82-78) with a little less than a minute left before the Rams secured the victory by hitting 10 free throws in the final minute.

Early on, the Falcons seized control of the contest as they shot the ball exceptionally well.  Notre Dame hit on 57.1 (4) of their first seven shots from the field, and most of that damage was done from beyond the arc, where they shot 60.0-percent (3-for-5) to establish a 13-9 lead five minutes in.

However, the Falcons hit a bit of a dry spell, while the Rams began to heat up.  Over the next three minutes, the Rams went on a 10-2 run to take a 19-15 advantage, and never trailed the rest of the half. 

After NDC's sharp shooting performance over the first five minutes of the contest, they fell into a funk, and went just 5-for-14 (35.7-percent) from the floor over the next 11 minutes of the contest, which included an 0-for-4 performance from 3-point land. 

The Rams didn't exactly shoot the lights out either, but they did a much better job of taking care of the ball, as they committed just four first half turnovers to Notre Dame's nine, and they used a slight 21-19 advantage on the glass, as they took a 36-29 lead into halftime. 

Neither team shot particularly well in the opening half, as the Falcons shot just 39.3-percent (11-for-28), and they were scoreless through the final 2:20 of the half.  The Rams shot just 40.0-percent (14-for-35) from the floor, while hitting only 25.0-percent (3-for-12) from long distance.

Shepherd started the second half the same way the Falcons started the first half, by hitting 57.1-percent (4) out of their first seven shots, and took a 44-34 lead just two and a half minutes in, forcing the Falcons to call for time.

The timeout wasn't able to fix NDC's shooting woes, as they went just 2-for-9 (22.2-percent) over the next five minutes, while Shepherd mounted a 17-point (57-40) advantage. 

The Rams eventually built a 19-point (64-45) advantage with just under nine minutes to play, before the Falcons went on a 9-0 run, capped by Tyree Gaiter's 3-pointer  to get back within striking distance over the next two minutes of the contest.

Notre Dame continued to battle, and they were able to draw closer within the final minute of the contest.  Patrick Koenig hit a 3-pointer with a little less than a minute to play to bring NDC within six (80-74), and 17 seconds later Kalomo Figueroa-Jackson's layup brought the deficit down to four (82-78). 

Shepherd's Aaron Cunningham hit four straight free throws while the Falcons missed on a trio of 3-pointers over the next 25 seconds, until Koenig hit another 3-pointer with 15-seconds remaining to bring NDC within five (86-81). However, Morgan McDonald buried a pair of free throws with 12-seconds to play, sealing the deal for the Ram victory.

Four Falcons scored in double figures.  Jarvis Huntley led the way with 21 points and added six rebounds, while Gaiter added 20 points and a trio of assists.  Figueroa-Jackson added 14 points, and Lawrence DeArmond delivered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Feb. 8, when they head to Fairmont, W.Va., to take on Fairmont State. The contest is scheduled to tip at 4:00 p.m.