Box Score
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame Forward
Kelsey Miller became the eighth player in the history of the program to score 1000 career points, as she scored 23 on Saturday afternoon in Notre Dame's 75-65 victory over West Liberty.
The victory for the Falcons (6-11, 5-7 MEC) marks the first time this season that they won back-to-back games, and the loss for the Hilltoppers (6-12, 5-7 MEC) was their second this season against the Falcons.
In the process of scoring her 1000th point, Miller led all scorers on the day with 23, while adding 11 rebounds as well to go along with four assists and three steals.
Notre Dame used an incredible start, and a strong fourth quarter to come away with the win. They outscored the Hilltoppers, 20-6 in the opening stanza, before closing out with a 26-point fourth quarter, outscoring the Hilltoppers by seven.
The game began with complete dominance from the Falcons. Over the first four and a half minutes of the game, Notre Dame outscored the Hilltoppers, 12-0, while shooting 85.7-percent (6-for-7) from the field, and they forced the Hilltoppers to miss their first five shots of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, the tides turned a bit in the second quarter. Notre Dame had a hard time getting their shots to fall in the second quarter, hitting just 16.7-percent (2-for-12) of their shots, while the Hilltoppers held NDC to just eight points, and closed the gap to six (28-22) heading into halftime.
Two quick 3-pointers from the Hilltoppers tied the game at 28-28 about 45 seconds into the second half. Despite that, Notre Dame was able to string their lead back out to seven on several occasions in the third, but the Hilltoppers narrowed the deficit down to three (49-46) heading into the fourth.
West Liberty took their first lead of the contest, just over four minutes into the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from Brandi Beader. Notre Dame answered quickly a few moments later on a layup from
Kim Cook, giving the Falcons a 56-55 advantage.
The layup from Cook kick started an 11-0 run for the Falcons, which included a 3-pointer and a jumper from
Seina Adachi, another jumper from Cook and a layup from Miller which capped the run at the 2:36-mark, giving NDC a 10-point (65-55) lead. While the Hilltoppers brought the deficit down to five (67-62) with just over a minute and a half left, they could not get any close as the Falcons hung on for the win.
Miller's big day marked her third straight double-double, and her eighth on the season.
Marisa Finazzo added 12 points and three assists, while Adachi scored 10 points with four assists, and
Jessie Stout scored 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. Cook finished with nine points and led the team with 10 assists.
Notre Dame returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 26, when they head to Buckhannon, W.Va., to meet up with the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
