Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Notre Dame Falcons came away with a season-high, 19 steals on Thursday evening, and defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 93-71 at Murphy Gymnasium.
The Falcons (13-11, 9-9 MEC) have now won three of their last four games, and nine of 12 at home, while the loss for the Bobcats (10-14, 8-10 MEC) was their third in a row.
The 19 steals were third most by a Mountain East Conference team this season, as nine players recorded at least one steal, with
Tyree Gaiter and
Najeeb Johnson leading the way with five each. The steals created extra possessions, which proved to be valuable on a night where both teams shot well. Notre Dame shot 58.3-percent (35-for-60) from the floor, while WV Wesleyan hit on 55.3-percent (21-for-38) of their shots.
Notre Dame's incredible shooting percentage in the contest was even more impressive, considering the slump they endured at the beginning of the contest. Notre Dame was able to get just one of their first nine shots to fall over the first five minutes of the game, but the Bobcats were only able to take a six point (10-4) lead during that stretch.
While the early slump allowed the Bobcats to keep the lead for the entire half, the Falcons eventually found their shooting stroke in the opening half, and never allowed WV Wesleyan to lead by any more than seven.
Notre Dame brought their shooting percentage up to a respectable, 46.4-percent (13-for-28) by the end of half, and brought the deficit down to three (38-35) on Johnson's buzzer beater at the end of the half.
The second half was very tightly contested, with both sides making runs over the first 15 minutes, until the Falcons caught fire in the final five minutes and really pulled away.
The lead changed hands four times in the second half, and NDC captured the lead for good at the 13:23-mark, when Johnson hit layup, and followed with a free throw for an old fashioned 3-point play to give NDC a 54-52 advantage.
The game remained close, and the Bobcats were down just two (69-67) with 6:13 remaining, before the Falcons went wild, and closed the game on an incredible, 24-4 run over the final six minutes.
The aforementioned run began with a four-point play from Gaiter. Gaiter buried a 3-pointer before being fouled, and hit a foul shot to kick start the big run. Notre Dame tallied five steals during the final six minutes of the game, and hit eight consecutive shots to seal the deal.
Gaiter led the way for Notre Dame with 30 points, and added six assists. Johnson tied a season high with 22 points, to go along with four assists.
Kyauta Taylor added 10 points for the Falcons and a pair of steals, while
Lawrence DeArmond added nine points, five boards and two steals.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Feb. 14, when they hit the road for another MEC tilt, against the Glenville State Pioneers. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
