Box Score INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- Playing the second and final game of their weekend swing trip, the Notre Dame College men's basketball team used a strong second-half performance to pick up a 91-82 win over the host West Virginia State Yellow Jackets on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons outscored WVSU by a 56-40 margin in the second half, propelling themselves to their fourth straight Mountain East Conference victory.
Tyree Gaiter scored 23 points and dished nine assists while
Kyauta Taylor scored 22 points on 6-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Meanwhile,
Will Vorhees (18 points, 16 rebounds) and
Ja'Sean Lewis (17 points, 12 rebounds) recorded double-doubles to help lead NDC to victory.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Falcons trailed by seven, 42-35, at the halftime intermission.
However, the Falcons used a dunk from Lewis early in the second half to cut into the Yellow Jackets' lead, 49-44. WVSU's Frank Webb hit a three to push the lead back to eight, but Gaiter responded with a 3-pointer of his own as the Falcons clawed back.
With 11:48 remaining in the game, NDC still trailed by just five, 61-56, following a free throw from Lewis. WVSU responded with a basket to take a seven-point lead, but Taylor drilled a 3-pointer to again give the Falcons momentum, cutting the deficit to just 63-59 with 10:55 remaining.
Just under one minute later, Lewis drained a 3-pointer of his own to bring the Falcons within one possession, 65-62, with 9:57 remaining. On NDC's next possession, Vorhees scored a lay-up to cut the deficit to just one, 65-64.
A 3-pointer from Gaiter with 7:29 remaining had the Falcons trailing by just one, 70-69.
Gaiter then forced a steal to give the Falcons possession again, and Taylor hit a shot from deep to give the Falcons a 72-70 lead with 7:05 remaining - their first lead since 4:34 in the first half.
The battle continued between both sides as a WVSU lay-up tied the score at 74 with 4:57 remaining.
Ryan Hickoff then drained a clutch 3-pointer to give NDC a 77-74 lead, and the Falcons never looked back.
Late clutch free throws from Vorhees, Gaiter and Lewis pushed NDC's lead to seven, 85-78, with 3:00 remaining. From there, the Falcons iced the game with free throws and defensive stops, picking up a 91-82 road win over WVSU.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 16-6 on the season, including a 10-6 mark in MEC play. The Falcons have also won four straight MEC contests with the nine-point win over WVSU.
NDC will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 11 at home against the Shepherd Rams in another MEC showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm in Murphy Gym.
