Box Score
CHARLESTON, W.Va -- Playing the role of underdog all week in the 2015 Mountain East Conference Tournament, the sixth-seeded Falcons squared off with the top-seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers on Sunday afternoon in the MEC Championship game. After using second-half comebacks in their Quarterfinals and Semifinals games earlier this week, the Falcons fell short in the second half against the Hilltoppers, losing by a final score of 76-55.

Scoring began at a frantic pace early in the game, yet both sides remained close on the scoreboard as the Falcons led 10-9 just five minutes into the game.

NDC still held a narrow lead, 25-22, with 7:50 to go in the first half, before Molly Ritz scored a lay-up to push the Falcons' lead to five. A jumper from Martha Nagbe, the reigning MEC Player of the Year, gave the Falcons a seven-point lead, 31-24, their biggest of the game to that point.

However, the Hilltoppers responded with a 10-3 run, tying the game at 34 with 3:13 remaining in the half. Minutes later with under 10 seconds to go in the half, Kelsey Miller hit the back end of a pair of free throws, giving NDC a 39-38 lead at halftime.

In NDC's Quarterfinal and Semifinal matchups, the Falcons outscored their MEC opponents in the second half by a combined margin of 93-60. However, the second half of Sunday's MEC Championship game was not as kind to the Falcons. 

West Liberty started the second half on an 11-1 run, and was led by Hillary Southworth, who hit three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half. Southworth's hot shooting started to separate the Hilltoppers on the scoreboard, but their was still plenty of time left in the game for the Falcons.

Unfortunately, bounces, tipped passes and loose balls continued not to go in favor of the Falcons, as the Hilltoppers took a 57-44 lead with 11:14 remaining.

Ritz kept the Falcons alive with a lay-up to cut the deficit to just 11, but the Hilltoppers continued to hit shots from distance. With 8:08 remaining, Nagbe drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 64-49, but another bucket from the Hilltoppers 

From there, it was too-little, too-late for the Falcons, as they fell short against West Liberty by a final score of 76-55.

Nagbe finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds to lead NDC, while Miller finished with 14 and seven, respectively. Molly Ritz also reeled in seven points (3-4 FGs) and seven rebounds in her final game as a Falcon.

Despite the loss, the Falcons finish the season with an overall record of 20-12, marking just the second 20-win season in program history. NDC also finishes the 2014-15 season with a 16-10 record against Mountain East Conference opponents.

The Falcons will lose Molly Ritz and Courtney Palmer to graduation, but will return four of five starters and the large majority of the roster. Nagbe will also return for the Falcons, as they'll depend on the reigning MEC Player of the Year to lead the team next season.