Box Score SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio –
Will Vorhees hit a jumer in traffic with four seconds left in Thursday night's contest at Murphy Gymnasium to push the Falcons past the Rams in a thrilling, 87-86 win at home.
For the Falcons (12-10, 8-8 MEC) the victory was their second in a row overall, and their eighth in 10 games at home, while for the Rams (12-10, 7-9) the loss was their third in their last four games.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the contest, with the lead constantly changing hands. Notre Dame led by as many as 12 in the second half, but Shepherd battled back on the strength of some excellent shooting from 3-point land, before falling in the end.
It was a game of runs from the beginning of the contest. Notre Dame started the game with an 11-4 run, getting their first six points of the game from
Kyauta Taylor, staging that 11-4 advantage just over five minutes into the contest.
Wasting no time to respond, Shepherd used their first big run of the contest to take their first lead of the game, as they answered NDC's 11-4 charge, with an 11-0 run of their own over the next three minutes to take a 15-11 lead with 11:58 left in the half.
From that point forward, the lead changed hands five times through the remainder of the half, and neither side was able to develop a comfortable lead. Notre Dame led by as many as six (34-29) over the final 10 minutes of the half, and went into the break with a 37-32 advantage as
Lawrence DeArmond hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
At the beginning of the second half, the Falcons quickly saw their lead grow to double digits, as they began to catch fire from beyond the arc. Taylor hit a trio of 3-pointers in the second half, and he was a big part of NDC's incredible start to the half. NDC took a 10-point (50-40) lead after a pair of 3-pointers from both Taylor and DeArmond at the 16:31-mark of the second half.
The Falcons led by as many as 12 (61-49) after a
Tyree Gaiter jumper with 13:16 to play, before the 3-pointers came in a hurry from the Rams to get them back into the game. Shepherd shot a blistering, 70.0-percent (7-for-10) from 3-point land in the second half to charge back into the contest.
Notre Dame maintained a lead, until Shepherd moved into the driver's seat, on a 3-pointer from Austin Cunningham with 1:51 remaining to give the Rams a 81-78 lead.
Both sides buried big shots in the final two minutes of the contest as the lead just continued to change hands. AJ Carr buried a big 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to give Shepherd an 86-85 lead with just 16 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Vorhees hit a jumper in traffic with just four seconds remaining to give the Falcons the lead, and Gaiter stole the inbounds pass, as the Falcons came away with the win.
Taylor paced the Falcons on the evening, with 24 points, and added six rebounds. DeArmond wasn't far behind, pouring in 19 points, including a pair of incredible dunks, and added nine rebounds. Vorhees finished with 17 points and had three blocks. Gaiter finished the game with 12 points and seven assists and
Oliver Megins added 11 points.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Feb. 7, when they play host to Fairmont State at Murphy Gymnasium in more MEC action. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
