Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- On a night where
Tyree Gaiter set the school record for career assists, the senior guard also went off for 42 points as the Falcons defeated West Virginia State, 104-87 at Murphy Gymnasium.
The win for the Falcons (5-2, 1-2 MEC) was their first in conference play this season, and their sixth in their last seven games at home, while the loss for the Yellow Jackets (3-4, 1-2 MEC) was their third in a row.
Gaiter was on fire all night long, as he buried 59-percent (13-for-22) of his shots overall, including a 70-percent (7-for-10) clip from 3-point land, and he was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Gaiter broke the school record for assists, previously held by Jerome Pierce. It came on his second assist of the night, at the 7:33-mark on a dish into the paint, which
Ja'Sean Lewis converted on a layup to give NDC a 14-point (31-17) lead. Gaiter tallied six assists on the night, giving him 482 in his incredible career.
Notre Dame played exceptionally well throughout the night, and it started at the opening tip. The Falcons never trailed at any point in the contest, and the night began with
Will Vorhees scoring the game's first six points, as the Falcons went on an 8-0 run over the first two and a half minutes of the contest.
The Falcons were able to build on that momentum, as they found themselves ahead, 16-5, just over five minutes into the contest. During that stretch, they shot 70-percent (7-for-10) from the floor, and played great defensively, forcing four WVSU turnovers.
The lead was never in question the rest of the half, as Notre Dame continued to shoot extremely well. The Yellow Jackets could only get as close as seven, while the Falcons built a 16-point lead on a few different occasions.
Notre Dame scored 56 points in the opening half, which fittingly ended with Gaiter hitting a 3-pointer inside the final five seconds, giving him 23 points in the first half. NDC shot 52.5-percent (21-for-40) over the first 20 minutes, and hit on 50-percent (6-for-12) of their shots from beyond the arc, while forcing 11 Yellow Jacket turnovers.
The second half offered more of the same, as Notre Dame never allowed the Yellow Jackets to get back within striking distance. WVSU did bring the deficit down to seven (75-67) at the 10:27-mark, but that was as close as they would get.
Notre Dame then responded with a 7-0 run, getting the first five points on that run from Gaiter, as they built a 15-point (82-67) lead, and they led by double digits the rest of the way, leading by as many as 22 (102-80) at one point.
Gaiter stole the show with 42 points, the second most of his career, to go along with six assists and six steals. Lewis and Vorhees each added double-doubles for the Falcons. Vorhees scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, while Lewis added 17 points, to go along with 11 rebounds.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Dec. 5, when they play host to Charleston (WV) at Murphy Gymnasium in another MEC tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
