SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Up by eight going into the fourth quarter, the Notre Dame College women's basketball (2-2, 1-0 MEC) team was looking like they would have an easy path to start off with a win in conference play, but Concord (2-2, 0-1 MEC) had a different idea.
 
The Mountain Lions, who had trailed the entire game, came back with three minutes to go and took a 64-63 lead. After both teams missed their next shots and each turned the ball over, it was back in the hands of the Falcons.
 
Seina Adachi caused the Concord turnover with a steal and made a fast break layup to put Notre Dame back up by one with 1:41 on the clock. CU missed its next three shots and fouled NDC to help the Falcons close the game out 66-64.
 
Notre Dame started off strong to begin the game, making three of its first four shots to gain a five-point lead. The home team held on to that lead for nearly the entire game, leading by as much as 11 early in the third quarter.
 
Leading their team to the lead were Seina Adachi, Kim Cook and Katie Karalic who all scored in double-digits. Adachi led the team with 16 points, making seven of her 11 attempts. Overall, along with Marisa Finazzo (nine points) the Falcons top four leading scorers shot 62 percent from the field (21-34).
 
"As a staff we talked about shooting contested shots versus uncontested shots," head coach Lauren Macer said. "The players took it to heart and have shown better shot selections, which has really helped us. They get in the gym everyday and keep working."
 
Kim Cook, who ended with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds made three of her four three-point shots as well to add a threat from outside. The senior forward credited her teammates for her success beyond the arc.
 
"They drive a lot and when they do, I look for a kick," Cook said. "It's nice that we have that versatility. Our guards can drive and they can shoot and that allows us some freedom at the forward position."
 
Concord freshman, Riley Fitzwater also had a double-double (16 points, 16 rebounds) and shot well (7-10) throughout the game as the main weapon for the Mountain Lions. At 6-foot-4, Fitzwater challenged the Falcons, but eventually fouled out of the game after recording six blocks.
 
"She's a big player, she's young and hasn't fully developed yet, but she's going to be a great player," Cook said. "As you saw, she was reaching all over us so we needed to keep a body oh her."
 
"We knew she was a big player," Macer said. "She's a great player as a freshman so we wanted to crowd her and make her work for every shot she had. She didn't always make her first shot, but she was so good at getting second chances so we really honed in on boxing her out after that first attempt."
 
As the leading rebounder for Notre Dame, Cook was able to play a team-high 29 minutes without a being called for a foul.
 
"She worked hard to grab those boards," Macer said. "She was smart in her positioning and played a clean game, which turned out to be huge."
 
Towards the end of the game, NDC looked confident in its ability to regain its lead and come away with a win, which is a credit to the scheduling earlier in the year. The Falcons have played two exhibitions against Division I schools and two top 10 Division II programs this season. The challenges in those game along with an overtime victory in the first game of the season helped prepare them for this moment.
 
"Our first couple games were against really tough opponents so we had to push through some adversity," Cook said. "Having that experience helped us tonight, being able to lock in and know that we needed to get stops and score."
 
Notre Dame will play its second MEC game this season on Monday, November 20 against UVa.-Wise. The game will be played at home at 5:30.