Box Score
WHEELING, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons erased a large early deficit on Monday evening, but came up short in their first road game of the season, in an 88-84 loss to Wheeling Jesuit.  

For the Falcons, (3-2, 0-2 MEC) the loss was their second in a row, while the win for the Cardinals (5-0 2-0 MEC) makes them one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in the Mountain East Conference. 

Notre Dame trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, before they caught fire from beyond the arc and rallied to erase the deficit. Tyree Gaiter led the Falcons with 38 points, on the strength of nine 3-pointers. 

Early on, the Falcons had a difficult time making their shots, as they fell into a 1-for-8 (12.5-percent) shooting slump during the first five minutes of the contest, which put them in a 9-2 hole. NDC's lone bucket during that stretch came from Will Vorhees. 

An early 13-7 advantage on the glass also assisted the Cardinals as their lead would reach double digits over the next two minutes, and they took a 16-4 lead at the 12:35-mark on a 3-pointer from Pat Moseh, which came off their sixth offensive rebound of the half. 

The Cardinals took advantage of Notre Dame's early shooting slump, which continued to the 10:34-mark, where the Falcons had hit just 2-of-13 (15.3-percent) shots from the floor, and were behind, 18-4, when they finally caught fire. 

Notre Dame then hit four straight 3-pointers over the next 90 seconds, with the first one coming from Marco Colombo, and the next three from  Gaiter, and NDC quickly trimmed the deficit to five (21-16) with 9:11 left in the first half. 

The sharp shooting from the Falcons continued, as they stayed hot on the heels of the Cardinals over the next five minutes, trimming the deficit to two on two separate occasions, before they took the lead on a 3-pointer from Kyauta Taylor, putting the Falcons ahead, 28-27 with 4:17 left in the half. 

Both sides went back and forth in the final four minutes of the half, as they battled to a 34-34 tie at the break. Notre Dame was able to find a cure for their early shooting woes, as they shot 61.1-percent (11-for-18) over the final nine minutes of the opening half, and got hot beyond the arc, making 45.5-percent (5-for-11) of their 3-pointers in the first half. 

The Cardinals drilled a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minute of the second half, while the Falcons missed their first three shots from the floor, and WJU staged a 40-34 lead. 

Notre Dame battled back though, and cut into the deficit on another 3-pointer from Gaiter at the 17:01-mark to bring NDC within three (44-41). Over the next two minutes, Notre Dame would dial up from long distance twice to regain the lead, getting 3-pointers from Taylor and Ja'Sean Lewis. It was Lewis's 3-ball that put the Falcons ahead, 47-46 with 15:39 left. 

Over the next five minutes, both sides would exchange modest runs, and though the Cardinals did not shoot particularly well, they were able to extend possessions by grabbing a number of offensive rebounds, and used them to take a 59-54 lead with 9:28 left. 

WJU led for the next three minutes, until Gaiter hit another 3-pointer at the 6:42-mark, to tie the game at 63-63, and about 30 seconds later NDC would regain the lead on a pair of free throws from Vorhees. 

However, the Falcons fell out of sync offensively over the next three minutes. They could not get anything to go, other than a pair of free throws from Gaiter, while the Cardinals went on a 13-2 run to give WJU a 76-67 lead. The lead grew to double digits (79-69) with 2:24 left after Justin Fritts split a pair of free throws. 

Notre Dame would not go away, they were able to dive into the deficit, and eventually came within three (84-81) after Gaiter hit his seventh 3-pointer of the night with 20 seconds left. Gaiter came up with a steal moments later, but he misfired on another 3-pointer, forcing Notre Dame to foul with less than 10 seconds left. 

Haywood Highsmith hit a pair of free throws for the Cardinals to bring the lead back to five (86-81) with eight seconds remaining. Notre Dame would get another huge three from Gaiter just four seconds later to bring NDC back within two (86-84), but the Cardinals put the game away with a pair of free throws at the end. 

Gaiter's 38 led the Falcons, while Vorhees added 21 points to go along with six rebounds. Taylor finished the night with 13 points, six boards and a pair of steals, while Lewis was NDC's leader in assists, with four, rebounds with seven, and blocks with three. 

The Falcons are in action again next Monday, Nov. 30, when they return home for a non-conference matchup against Lake Erie College at Murphy Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.