Box Score WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons put on an excellent shooting display on Sunday evening in their final day of play at the MEC/PSAC Crossover, with a 107-78 victory over Mansfield (Pa.).
The Falcons (2-0) have now posted back-to-back victories to start the season for a second consecutive year, while the Mounties (0-2) were left still in search of their first win of the season.
Carrying over the momentum from the previous night, where they shot 55.8-percent (19-for-34) from the floor in the second half, Notre Dame put on another incredible shooting performance, as they shot 50.0-percent (16-for-32) in the first half of Sunday's game, before blistering the nets in the second, by sinking 66.7-percent (26-for-39) of their shots in the second half.
Six Falcons scored in double figures on the night, and while the Mounties remained close in the opening half, trailing by just four (40-36) at halftime, the Falcons used an incredible second half surge, as they outscored the Mounties, 67-42 in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
Early on, it was a tightly contested battle, as neither side was able to take a sizeable advantage. Mansfield led the Falcons by one (9-8) just over four minutes into the contest. That turned out to be the only lead the Mounties had in the game, and Notre Dame buried their next five shots to begin a 14-5 run over the next four minutes to take a nine point (23-14) lead with 12:01 to play.
Through the rest of the half, the Mounties were able to dive into that deficit, but they were never able to draw any closer than three, as Notre Dame continued to hit their shots and stay ahead.
Things escalated rather quickly at the beginning of the second half, as the Falcons buried seven of their first nine (77.7-percent) shots, and found themselves ahead of the Mounties, 57-43, after
Tyree Gaiter buried a 3-poitner with 15:40 left in the contest.
The lead was never in question the rest of the way, as Notre Dame continued to bury shots at an incredible rate, and they led by double digits the rest of the contest. The Falcons went ahead by 20 after Gaiter hit another 3-ball with 9:29 remaining,
Notre Dame's lead grew to 30 (102-72) after
Nathan Kellum hit a shot with 2:03 left, and they led by as many as 32 (107-75) with 44 seconds left after a
Ryan Hickoff jumper, and the Falcons cruised to victory.
Gaiter led the Falcons with 25 points, and added nine assists to go along with a pair of steals.
Will Vorhees was next in line with 18 points and was strong on the glass with nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
Marco Colombo added 15 points, while
Oliver Megins added 11, and both
Najeeb Johnson and
Kyauta Taylor both scored 10.
The Falcons are in action again on Wednesday, Nov. 18, when they play their home opener against Ohio Dominican at Murphy Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
