Box Score
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Notre Dame Falcons came from behind to defeat Daemen (N.Y.), 80-74, on Wednesday afternoon at Murphy Gymnasium.
The victory for the Falcons (2-3) was their first at home this season, and it was their second in their last three games overall, while the loss for the Wildcats (2-2) was their second in a row after starting the season with a pair of wins.
Notre Dame was down by as many as 11 (25-14) in the second quarter, but they capitalized on a sharp shooting performance from
Seina Adachi who scored a game high 27, as she buried a few big 3-pointers in the second quarter to lead the comeback for the Falcons.
The opening quarter was tightly contested, as neither side was able to pull away. Daemen did have a 16-10 lead with a little less than two minutes left in the quarter, before NDC was able to trim the deficit to two (16-14) after buckets from Adachi and
Jessie Stout.
Daemen opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run, taking the aforementioned 25-14 advantage. Notre Dame was kept off the scoreboard for the first three and a half minutes of the quarter, before
Terrina Robinson hit a jumper at the 6:26-mark, which triggered an 18-4 run for the Falcons over the next five minutes of the quarter. Of the 18 points on the run, 12 came from Adachi who buried a pair of trifectas to put the Falcons back in the lead.
Notre Dame used that run to create a 34-31 advantage going into the locker room at the half. The Falcons forced 13 first half turnovers, and came away with 11 steals, while grabbing eight offensive rebounds in the opening half.
The Falcons would get buckets from
Ciara Reed and
Kelsey Miller over the first two minutes of the third quarter to take a 39-31 lead, but the Wildcats chipped away at the lead. Daemen clawed back within two (44-42) at the 5:09-mark, and eventually took a 50-49 lead with three minutes left in the half on Sarah Saba's layup.
Adachi answered quickly for the Falcons with a big 3-pointer on NDC's next offensive possession, and Miller added to the lead on NDC's next possession with a layup to give the Falcons a 54-50 lead. NDC was able to take a 59-55 edge after Miller hit two free throws at the end of the third.
Damen did take a brief, 62-59 advantage with 8:41 to play, but Reed's trifecta on NDC's next possession put the Falcons back in the driver's seat, and they did led the rest of the game. NDC led by as many as nine over the final eight minutes and hung on for the win.
Adachi had a huge game, getting her 27 points on a 9-for-19 (47.4-percent) shooting performance from the field, including four 3-pointers, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Reed added 19 points to go along with four steals, and Miller delivered another double-double, with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
The Falcons return to action on Thursday, Dec. 1, when they travel to Institute, W.Va., to take on the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets in a Mountain East Conference tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
