Box Score
CHARLESTON, W.Va -- After an impressive come-from-behind victory over Charleston on Thursday, the Falcons squared off with Shepherd on Saturday in the 2015 Mountain East Conference Semifinals. The Falcons used a dominant second-half performance and a complete team effort to come away with a 75-65 win over the Rams, earning a berth in the MEC Championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Early in the first half, both sides were tied 8-8 after a three from Shepherd's Rachel Johnson. However, Ciara Reed responded with a three of her own, and a pair of free throws from Martha Nagbe gave the Falcons a 13-8 lead with 11:41 left in the first half.

The Falcons continued to maintain a slight lead over the Rams for much of the first half, leading 26-20 with 3:50 to go before halftime. Shepherd's Gabby Flinchum then hit two free throws, and another basket from the Rams cut NDC's lead to just two, 26-24. 

Flinchum and the Rams ended the first half of a 10-2 run over NDC, stealing a narrow 30-28 lead at halftime.

However, the Falcons were familiar with halftime deficits. After they trailed third-seeded Charleston 30-19 at halftime of Thursday's quarterfinal, the Falcons dominated the second half, forcing 20 turnovers and winning 65-55.

The second half of Saturday's Semifinal game against Shepherd was a similar script.

The Falcons opened the second half on a 10-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from Jessica Garcia, her second of the game. The Rams responded with a 7-2 run, trimming NDC's lead to just three, 40-37, with 14:24 remaining.

Continuing a game of runs, the Falcons went on another 10-0 run, using a complete team effort to take a 50-37 lead over the Rams. 

With just 9:34 remaining, NDC still held a comfortable 58-46 lead over Shepherd. Led by Gabby Flinchum, the Rams refused to roll over, as four straight points cut NDC's lead to just eight, 58-50.

Hitting her third three of the day, Garcia again came up clutch for the Falcons, pushing the lead back to double digits, 61-50. But once again, Flinchum and the Rams went on a 9-1 spurt to cut NDC's lead to just three, 62-59, with 4:40 remaining.

After a Shepherd foul, Nagbe went to the free throw line and hit both shots. On NDC's next possession, Celine Mangan scored a lay-up on a give-and-go from Molly Ritz, putting the Falcons lead at 66-60. The Rams scored again to cut the deficit to just four, but Ritz immediately responded with a lay-up to give NDC a 68-62 lead with 1:43 remaining.

Stout defense and poised free throws from the Falcons put the game on ice, leading to NDC winning the contest over Shepherd by a final score 75-65. 

With the win, the Falcons pick up their third straight MEC Tournament win - the first of such wins in program history. NDC also had four scorers reach double digits, led by 16 from Nagbe, the reigining MEC Player of the Year.

Most importantly, the Falcons will now advance to the the Mountain East Conference Championship game, where they'll take on the top-seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.

For more information on the MEC Championship game, please visit Tournament Central.