Box Score
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio –Notre Dame sophomore Kyauta Taylor scored 35 points on Thursday evening, as the Falcons held off Urbana, in a 94-86 victory at Murphy Gymnasium. 

For the Falcons (12-5, 6-5 MEC)  the win was their sixth at home, and they've now won eight out of their last 10 overall, while the loss for the Blue Knights (1-13, 0-9) leaves them winless in conference play, and was their 11th straight overall. 

Taylor had a huge day for the Falcons, tying a career high with 35 points, while Notre Dame used a big advantage on the offensive glass to create plenty of second chance opportunities. Notre Dame gathered 19 offensive rebounds, and scored 20 points off those second chance opportunities. 

The pace was rather quick in the early stages of the game, and Taylor led the charge for the Falcons. He scored NDC's first six points, and his hot streak continued deeper into the half, as he was responsible for 14 of Notre Dame's first 20 points, on the strength of a 5-for-7 (71.4-percent) shooting performance, and the Falcons found themselves ahead, 20-16 with 13:10 remaining in the opening half. 

Sharp shooting was the theme of the first half for the Falcons, and their extended their lead to eight (30-22) at the 9:52-mark, on the strength of a 54.5-percent (12-for-22) shooting performance from the field, and used a 15-9 advantage on the glass to limit Urbana's opportunities. 

Notre Dame led by as many as 11, and did so on multiple occasions in the opening half. Ja'Sean Lewis's dunk with 5:48 left in the half put NDC up 37-26, and Marco Colombo's layup with 3:26 left put NDC up 41-30. 

Urbana would never let the Falcons get too comfortable, as they were able to trim the deficit down to four (41-37) with just under a minute to play in the opening half, before Will Vorhees completed an old fashioned 3-point play to give the Falcons a 44-37 lead, which they took into the halftime break. 

Ryan Hickoff was responsible for NDC's first four points of the second half, as the NDC lead grew back into double digits in the early stages of the half. 

It appeared as though the Falcons were going to run away with the victory after they took a 16 point (64-48) lead with 13:49 to play after a Tyree Gaiter layup, but just as they had done in the first half, the Blue Knights fought back. 

Over the next five and a half minutes, the Blue Knights wrestled their way back into the contest, as they went on a 17-6 run, and brought the deficit down to five (70-65) with 8:33 remaining. Taylor immediately responded with a 3-pointer, one of his seven makes from beyond the arc on the night. 

NDC led by 13 (86-73) with three minutes left after Will Vorhees grabbed one of his seven offensive rebounds on the night and followed that with a layup, before Urbana brought the deficit back down to single digits. 

Despite Urbana's best efforts, Notre Dame was able to hold off a late charge from the Blue Knights, as Gaiter drilled seven free throws inside the final minute to clinch the victory. 

Four Falcons scored in double figures, while two Falcons turned in double-doubles. Taylor led the way with 35 points to go along with five assists and three steals. Vorhees had 17 points and 11 rebounds, seven of those on the offensive end. Lewis added 10 points, 11 rebounds, five offensive, and had two blocks, while Gaiter ended the night with 16 points and five assists. 

The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Jan. 23, when they hit the road to take on No. 1 West Liberty, in West Liberty, W.Va. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.