Box Score
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons put a terrific defensive effort together on Saturday afternoon, as they came away with a convincing, 72-45 victory over the Charleston Golden Eagles.
Notre Dame (9-12, 8-8 MEC) has now won five out of their last six overall, and three out of their last four on the road, while the loss for the Golden Eagles (8-14, 7-9 MEC) was their second in their last three overall, and their sixth at home this season.
The Falcons played very well defensively in a low scoring first quarter, where they held the Golden Eagles to just five points. Notre Dame would get their first four points of the game from
Jessie Stout, and they forced four UC turnovers during the first four minutes of the contest.
Notre Dame never trailed in the opening quarter, while limiting UC to just a pair of makes from the field as they took an 11-5 lead into the second quarter, where their lead grew to double digits (22-12) after another Stout layup with 4:29 left in the first half.
However, the Golden Eagles found their groove offensively over the next two minutes, converting on three straight offensive possessions to bring the deficit back down to four (22-18) with 2:25 left in the first half.
Kelsey Miller was responsible for NDC's last five points of the half, as her 3-pointer gave the Falcons a 27-18 lead with 1:19 to go, but UC responded with five points in the final minute of the second quarter, and brought the deficit down to two (27-25) by halftime.
While Charleston narrowed the deficit to two (35-33) just over two minutes into the third quarter, the Falcons responded with an incredible, 15-2 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes of the contest, and took a 50-35 advantage after
Terrina Robinson hit a free throw with 1:30 left in the quarter. Stout, Robinson,
Kim Cook and
Kyleigh Ramlow all made baskets during that stretch, while the Golden Eagles went 0-for-5 from the field during that stretch.
Notre Dame took a 52-37 lead into the fourth quarter, and not much changed in the final stanza. Notre Dame led by double digits the rest of the way, leading by as many as 31 (72-41) as they cruised to a victory.
Four Falcons scored in double figures. Miller led the way with 17 points and added three steals.
Seina Adachi had 14 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Stout added a dozen points to go along with three assists, and Cook added 10 points and five rebounds.
The Falcons will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 9, when they hit the road again to square off against the Shepherd Rams. Tip-off in Shepherdstown, W.Va. is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
