Box Score
WISE, Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons returned to action on Tuesday night, and fell on the road to the Virginia-Wise Cavaliers, 73-67.
The loss for Notre Dame (3-10, 2-6 MEC) was their fourth in six games on the road, while the win for the Cavaliers (12-4, 7-1 MEC), was their eighth straight at home, and their fifth straight overall.
The Falcons shot the ball extremely well in the early stages of the game, as they connected on their first five shots of the contest. However, they committed five turnovers over the first eight minutes of the contest, and the Cavaliers turned those into six points, which allowed them to stay well within striking distance, as the Falcons only led by two (10-8) at the 3:23-mark.
Despite the great start to the opening quarter, the Falcons missed four of their final five shots during the last three minutes of the quarter, and during that stretch, the Cavaliers caught fire, going on a 10-2 run to take an 18-12 lead into the second quarter.
Notre Dame had a tough time getting their shots to fall in the first five minutes of the second quarter, shooting 22.2-percent (2-for-9) from the floor, but they were able to endure that, and caught fire again over the next few minutes, bringing the deficit down to four (24-20) after
Kelsey Miller's layup with 3:06 left in the quarter. Though they trailed by as many as 10 (22-12) in the first half, Notre Dame went into the half only down six (31-25).
The Falcons started the second half by scoring seven of the next 11 points, cutting the deficit down to three (35-32) after another layup from Miller at the 7:37-mark. However, shooting struggles once again haunted the Falcons, as they hit on just 33.3-percent (6-for-18) of their shots in the third quarter. The Cavaliers took advantage, and held a double digit lead for most of the final four minutes of the third quarter, taking a 58-43 lead into the fourth.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, they were not able to catch up. They were able to trim the deficit back to single digits with just over two minutes to play, but the late surge was not enough, as the Cavaliers held on for the win.
Miller led the Falcons with 23 points and added five rebounds.
Jessie Stout added 10 points and a trio of assists.
Kim Cook scored eight points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
The Falcons return to action this Saturday, Jan. 14, when they play host to Fairmont State at Murphy Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
