Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame freshman
Kyauta Taylor scored 35 points on Saturday afternoon, as the Notre Dame Falcons snapped a three game losing streak in a 92-83 victory over West Virginia State.
For the Falcons (8-6, 4-4 MEC) the win brought an end to a season long, three game slide, and was their sixth in a row at home. The loss for the Yellow Jackets (2-12, 2-3) was their fourth in a row on the road.
On a day where the Falcons had a tough time making their shots, they relied on Taylor, who set a career high with his 35-point effort, which included an 8-for-9 (88.8-percent) performance at the free throw line.
The entire contest was filled with a number of big runs on both sides, while the lead changed hands several times before the Falcons pulled away in the final few minutes.
Taylor's big game began from the opening tip, as he scored Notre Dame's first six points. Both sides shot the ball pretty well during the first five minutes of the game, and the game was tied, 10-10, with 15 minutes left.
The Falcons went on a 7-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 17-11 advantage, but the Yellow Jackets came right back. With 9:46 left in the half,
Connor Deckard made a layup to give the Falcons 21-15 lead, before WV State scored the next 12 points to take a 29-21 advantage with 6:16 left in the half.
WV State's lead grew to double digits (34-24) after Markee Mazyck hit a 3-pointer at the 4:41-mark, and they maintained a 10-point lead through the next three minutes. With 1:48 left in the half, the Yellow Jackets had a 38-28 lead, but the Falcons rallied in the final two minutes. NDC scored the next eight points, on a run that was highlighted by 3-pointers from
Tyree Gaiter and
Oliver Megins, and NDC went into the half down just two (40-38).
The first three minutes of the second half would belong to the Yellow Jackets, as they went on a 12-5 run during that stretch to take a 52-43 lead with 17:23 remaining in the contest.
Notre Dame came right back with a big run of their own, as four different Falcons scored on NDC's 9-0 run, which was capped by Gaiter's layup at the 14:32-mark to tie the game at 52-52. The lead changed hands six times over the following five minutes, and NDC took a 64-62 advantage with 9:22 left on a 3-pointer from
Najeeb Johnson.
The back and forth battle continued, both teams would match each other blow for blow over the next four minutes of the game, before the Falcons went up, 75-74, on a layup from
Lawrence DeArmond just inside the four minute mark, which is where NDC took control and never trailed again.
Following the DeArmond layup, Notre Dame scored the next nine points, and that 11-0 run ended with Taylor making a layup coming off a steal from DeArmond, which gave the Falcons an 84-74 lead with 1:41 remaining. NDC maintained their advantage and never looked back.
Taylor's 35 points led the Falcons on the day, while Gaiter added 28 points to go along with four steals and three assists. DeArmond stuffed the stat sheet again for the Falcons, scoring 17 points to go along with six steals, nine rebounds and six assists.
The Falcons are in action again on Monday, Jan. 12, when they play host to the University of Charleston at Murphy Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
