Box Score
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The Notre Dame College women's basketball team fought ferociously but fell short by a final score of 65-61 to the visiting Charleston Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon in Murphy Gym.
Kelsey Miller led the Falcons with 26 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The Falcons (2-5 overall, 1-3 Mountain East) were led by a strong first-quarter showing from
Kelsey Miller, who dropped nine points and four rebounds in the first period alone. At the end of the first 10 minutes, the Falcons held a narrow 14-13 lead.
However, the visiting Golden Eagles responded with a second-quarter run to turn the tide. Charleston outscored NDC 20-11 in the second quarter, leaving the Falcons trailing by eight points at halftime, 33-25.
After making halftime adjustments, both sides battled to an even 17-17 third quarter as the Falcons still trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter.
Trailing 50-42 going into the final quarter, the Falcons responded with a much-needed run of their own.
NDC opened the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to narrow the deficit to just one point, 52-51, after
Seina Adachi and
Kim Cook nailed consecutive 3-pointers with 7:18 remaining in the game.
Scoring for both sides slowed over the next few minutes, as the Golden Eagles used a pair of baskets to push the lead back to five, 56-51, with three minutes left in the game.
However, Adachi again came up clutch for the Falcons as she drained another 3-pointer to bring NDC back within one score, 56-54. With just 1:34 remaining and the Falcons still trailing by two, Cook grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a put-back lay-up to tie the score at 56-56 to reset the game.
The Golden Eagles hit all six free throws on their next three possessions to take a 62-56 lead, but Cook nailed another three to bring NDC within one score, 62-59, with 32 seconds remaining.
Notre Dame was forced to foul on the ensuing possession, and UC hit both free throws to push the lead to five, but Miller responded immediately with a basket of her own. Another NDC foul forced Charleston to the line, where the Golden Eagles went 1-for-2 to take a 65-61 lead.
The Falcons looked to answer with a score of their own, but couldn't convert. After another NDC foul, Charleston missed both free throws to keep the deficit at just four for the Falcons, but it was too-little, too-late as NDC fell by a final score of 65-61.
With the loss, the Falcons fall to 2-5 overall on the season, including a 1-3 mark against Mountain East Conference competition.
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Dec. 10 on the road against the Division I Cleveland State Vikings in an exhibition matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 pm in Cleveland, Ohio.
