Box Score Box Score
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame College women's basketball team put up a hard-fought battle, but fell short in its quest of winning the 2016 Mountain East Conference Championship with a 79-66 loss to Wheeling Jesuit on Saturday afternoon. The third-seeded Falcons battled from start to finish, but fell the second-seeded Cardinals in the MEC Semifinals, hosted at the Charleston Civic Center.

The Falcons (20-10, 17-7 MEC) were led by Kim Cook, who made four 3-pointers en route to a 14-point performance. Kelsey Miller had 12 points and five rebounds while Martha Nagbe added 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists in her final game for the Falcons.

After one quarter of action, the Falcons found themselves trailing by double-digits, 30-11, but proved resilient in the second quarter. NDC opened the second period on a 10-3 run, capped by an and-one play from Miller, cutting the deficit to just 34-21.

But the Falcons weren't done there.

Erin Haislah scored a lay-up and Cook hit a 3-pointer to cut further into the Cardinals lead. Miller then drained a shot from deep before hitting a pair of free throws, and suddenly the Falcons trailed by just three, 34-31.

Terrina Robinson capped the 23-4 run for NDC, hitting two free throws with 2:40 remaining before halftime to make it a one-point game, 34-33.

The Falcons won the second quarter by a 22-10 margin, and trailed by just seven at halftime, 40-33.

After a high-energy second quarter, the Falcons couldn't find the same momentum in the third quarter. A strong third quarter performance from the Cardinals put the Falcons behind 61-41 going into the fourth and final quarter of action.

Once again, the Falcons refused to simply roll over and accept their fate.

Celine Mangan opened the fourth period with back-to-back 3-pointers, energizing the Falcons bench and fans alike.

However, the Cardinals scored a pair of buckets to push their lead back to 18 points, 65-47, with just 4:46 remaining in the game.

And one more time, with their season on the line, the Falcons refused to quit. Miller scored a lay-up, Nagbe hit a free throw and Cook drained another 3-pointer to make it just a 12-point deficit, 65-53, with 3:18 remaining.

On NDC's next possession, Alyssa Kraus hit a jumper to bring the Falcons within 10 points, 65-55, with 2:36 remaining in the game.

With under a minute remaining, Robinson hit a corner 3-pointer to brign the Falcons within six, 68-62, but it was too-little, too-late for the Falcons.

NDC fell by a final score of 79-66 to the Cardinals, ending their 2016 MEC Tournament run. With the loss, the Falcons end their season with a 20-10 overall record, including a 17-7 mark against MEC competition.