Box Score
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame Falcons came away with a season high, 20 steals on Thursday evening,  and it was Marisa Finazzo's layup with three seconds left in overtime that proved to be the difference, in an exciting, 58-56 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan.  

For the Falcons (7-11, 6-7 MEC) the victory was their third in a row, marking their longest winning streak of the season, and it was their fourth in their last five games overall, while for the Bobcats (6-10, 6-7 MEC) the loss was their second in a row, and their third in their last four games overall. 

The first quarter saw Notre Dame force eight Bobcat turnovers and they turned those turnovers into 12 points. The Falcons shot the ball pretty well in the early stages of the game, and they led by as many as six (15-9) after Kim Cook hit a pair of free throws with just under three minutes left in the quarter, before the Bobcats went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-15 advantage into the second quarter. 

While the Bobcat lead was extended to five (20-15) in the second quarter, the Falcons rallied back, and used a big trifecta from Kyleigh Ramlow off an assist from Seina Adachi to tie the game at 22-22 with 6:49 left in the first half. Jessie Stout was responsible for Notre Dame's next eight points. The NDC lead extended to four (28-24) after a Stout layup with 2:06 to play in the first half, and she converted on another layup with two seconds left on an assist from Terrina Robinson to give the Falcons a 30-27 advantage. 

The steals kept coming for the Falcons in the second quarter, as they tallied 12 over the first half alone, forcing 17 first half turnovers out of the Bobcats and scored 21 of their 30 points off those 17 turnovers. The Bobcats were able to stay in the game because they shot 50.0-percent (11-for-22) from the floor in the opening half, while NDC hit on 38.7-percent (12-for-31) of their shots from the field. 

Stout's incredible run continued into the second half, as she came away with a steal on WVWC's opening possession, and assisted Kelsey Miller on a layup at the other end of the floor to extend NDC's lead to five (32-27) just 16 seconds into the half. Though the Falcons led for most of the quarter, the Bobcats rallied and tied the game at 38-38 with just under 2:30 left in the third, before Miller hit a jumper to give the Falcons a 40-38 edge, which they took into the fourth. 

The fourth quarter offered more of the same, as Notre Dame led most of the way, but they were never able to extend their lead by any more than four, leaving the door open for the Bobcats. Notre Dame led, 53-51 with 20 seconds to play, and the Bobcats tied the game on a jumper from Lana Long with 11 seconds left. Both teams had chances to win over the last 11 seconds, but could not cash in, forcing overtime. 

In overtime, points were very tough to come by, as both teams combined to score just eight points. Notre Dame trailed, 55-53, before Adachi buried a 3-pointer with 1:27 to play, but Long split a pair of free throws 26 seconds later to tie the game at 56-56. With 34 seconds remaining, Marisa Finazzo came away with a huge steal, and with three seconds remaining, she hit the eventual game winning layup. 

A trio of freshmen led the Falcons in scoring with Stout and Adachi leading the way with 13 each. Stout led the Falcons with five steals, while Adachi added two and a pair of assists. Ramlow added nine points for the Falcons, while Cook led the Falcons with eight rebounds to go along with four steals and four assists. Robinson had seven points, four assist and a pair of steals, and Finazzo added three steals to go along with the game winning shot. 

The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they take on the Glenville State Pioneers on the road in another MEC tilt. Tip-off in Glenville, W.Va., is scheduled for 2 p.m.