Next Games: Notre Dame College will play two games in Erie, Pa. before the holiday break. The Falcons will match-up with Mercyhurst University on December 16 at 2 p.m. and next week, they will play Gannon University on December 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Records: The Falcons currently sit at 3-7 on the year and are 1-5 in the Mountain East Conference. MU currently has a record of 4-4 and GU is 5-5.

Coaches Corner: Tim Koenig enters his fifth season at the helm of the Falcons and holds an overall record of 67-64 and has an MEC record of 42-52. Gary Manchel is in his 14th season at Mercyhurst and has an overall record of 241-163. John T. Reilly returns for his 13th season at Gannon and he holds a record of 214-139, overall.

Rankings: None of these teams were ranked in the latest NABC Division II Coaches Poll.

Series History: NDC is 2-4 all-time against Mercyhurst since the 2005-06 season. Last year, the Falcons beat Mercyhurst by a score of 89-80, at home on November 15, 2016. Against Gannon, the Falcons are 0-1 and their only match-up was an 81-66 GU victory in Erie, Pa. on December 14, 2012.

Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame fell to West Virginia State University by a score of 98-88 on December 6. The Falcons had a very strong second half, shooting 53-percent and scoring 53 points, however, West Virginia State used a 58 point first half to stay ahead and lock up the win. Kyauta Taylor had 25 points and eight assists, while he shot 50-perent (6-for-12) and made three, three pointers. Taylor is second on the team, and fifth in the conference, in scoring as he goes for 20.8 points-per-game and leads the Falcons with 4.3 assists-per-game. Angelo Cugini added 18 points and shot 80-percent (8-for-10) while Halil Parks dropped all of his 18 points in the second half. On December 9, NDC dropped a 103-76 decision to the University of Charleston. Parks scored 19 of his career-high 30 points in the second half of the game and Cugini, added 13 points and six rebounds. Cugini is seventh in the MEC in rebounding at 7.4 per game and fourth in offensive rebounds-per-game (2.9). This season, the Falcons are out-rebound their opponents by an average of 1.5 rebounds-per-game. NDC is 2-2 against non-conference teams so far this season.

Noting the Lakers: In their only game last week, Mercyhurst lost to West Chester University by a score of 58-50 on December 9. The Lakers trailed by only three points to their undefeated opponent at halftime, while shooting 35-percent in the first half. Malcolm Walters and Lorenzo Collier both finished the game with 13 points while Patrick Smith scored 10 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. Collier leads the team with 15.3 points-per-game and free throw percentage as he shoots 86-percent from the free throw line. Smith leads the team, and is ninth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, by grabbing 8.4 rebounds-per-game. The Lakers like to keep the score low and are averaging just 66.5 points-per-game. The MU defense is holding teams to 39-percent shooting from the field and 30-percent from three point range, on average.

Noting the Golden Knights: On December 9, Gannon handed East Stroudsburg University their first loss of the season, 71-64. In the second half, GU outscored ESU 41-33 and shot 50-percent from both, the field and three point range. By the end of the game, the Golden Knights were shooting 49-percent. Jair Green scored 17 points on 73-percent (8-for-11) shooting and Evan Phoenix scored 16 points, hauled in 10 rebounds and dished out four assists. Phoenix leads the team in rebounding at 9.2 per game, which is sixth highest in the conference, and is first on the team with 14 points-per-game. He ranks third on Gannon in shooting percentage at 52-percent from the field. Damon Miraud had 11 points against East Stroudsburg. This season, Miraud is shooting 69-percent. On average, the Golden Knights are out-rebounding their opponents by seven rebounds and they hold teams to 24-percent shooting from three point range.