Box Score SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame Falcons shot very well on Monday afternoon, and kept their winning streak intact, with a convincing, 84-65 victory over the Shepherd Rams.
The Falcons (10-6, 7-3) have now won seven in a row, which is their longest winning streak in three years, and they have won five straight on the road, while the Rams (4-12, 3-7 MEC) have now lost four in a row.
The shots were falling all afternoon long for the Falcons, as they shot 55.0-percent (33-for-60) from the floor, including a 42.9-percent (9-for-21) clip from 3-point land.
Notre Dame came out swinging, scoring the first eight points of the game over the first three and a half minutes of the contest. They used a balanced scoring attack during that run, as eight different Falcons (
Martha Nagbe,
Lauren Langenderfer,
Kelsey Miller and
Alyssa Kraus) scored to give NDC an early lead.
A few minutes later, the lead reached double digits, as
Lexi Hassing converted a layup at the 3:43-mark in the first quarter to give the Falcons a 15-4 advantage. NDC led by as many as 13 in the opening quarter after Miller hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to give ND a 22-9 advantage, and the Falcons found themselves ahead, 22-11 after one quarter of action.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, as the Falcons maintained their double digit lead. They never led by any less than 10, and at one point, they took a 21-point (42-21) advantage on a 3-pointer from Nagbe. Notre Dame outscored the Rams, 20-12 in the second quarter, and led 42-23 at the half.
Notre Dame shot the lights out in the first half, connecting on 51.5-percent (17-for-33) of their shots from the floor, and they outworked the Rams on the glass, earning a decisive, 26-17 advantage in rebounds. While their shots were falling the same could not be said for the Rams, who shot just 27.3-percent (9-for-33) from the floor in the opening half.
The Falcons continued to knock down their shots through the rest of the game. Notre Dame nailed three of their first four shots to start the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers from Nagbe and Langenderfer. Their lead eventually grew to 31 on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame maintained a large lead through the rest of the contest, and never looked back.
Nagbe led the Falcons with 20 points on the day, and she was on fire from beyond the arc, where she shot 80.0-percent (4-for-5), while adding seven assists and a pair of steals. Langenderfer added 14 points and five rebounds, while
Hope Thorbahn led the effort for the Falcons on the glass, coming away with 10 rebounds.
The Falcons are in action again on Thursday, Jan. 21, when they return home to play host to Urbana at Murphy Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
