SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – For the third consecutive game, Notre Dame College played in a close contest that came down to the final possession, and on Thursday night, the Falcons came up just short to Shepherd University in a 94-91 loss.

The Falcons (4-11, 2-7 MEC) started strong with their two seniors scoring their first 11 points. Oliver Megins and Kyauta Taylor each connected on a three pointer to start the game. Megins then knocked down a layup, Taylor hit another three and at the 16:19-mark, NDC led 11-4.

However, Shepherd (9-6, 5-4 MEC) went on an offensive run, which included four three pointers, and with 11:40 remaining in the first half, the game was tied at 20.

Freshman Levi Frankland hit one of his five, first half three pointers which put NDC up by seven points (32-25), with just about nine minutes to play before halftime.

After that point, the Rams and Falcons would lock into a close game the rest of the way. With 6:23 to go, a layup by Derek McKnight gave SU their first lead, 34-32, in over ten minutes.

Notre Dame would grab the lead once more, but Shepherd went into halftime leading by one point, 49-48.

McKnight scored 14 points in the first half for SU while Frankland had 16 points in 14 minutes off the bench and Taylor added 13 points for NDC. The Falcons shot 58-percent from the field in the first stanza.

The Rams would expand their lead to eight points, 65-57, with 14:03 remaining in the game. The Falcons clawed their way back into the contest with three pointers by sophomore Jack Kelsheimer and freshman Cole Hayes and free throws by redshirt-junior Angelo Cugini.

Several times in the second half, the Rams would stretch the lead with a short run, but NDC would hit baskets to stay in the game. With 1:13 to go, Halil Parks scored a layup to cut the deficit to two points, 91-89.

McKnight split a pair of free throws for Shepherd and then with six seconds remaining, redshirt-sophomore Drew Scarberry took a three and was fouled by Thomas Lang. Scarberry had the opportunity to tie the game with three free throws but he missed the third shot.

The Falcons sent AJ Carr to the free throw line and the Rams' forward knocked down both free throws.

With two seconds left, NDC inbounded the ball after a timeout and Taylor took the inbound pass. He was covered closely and could not get off an easy shot. The final three pointer bounced off the rim.

After the game, head coach Tim Koenig talked about the strategy of the final shot.

"We run that play and we've had a ton of success. Scarberry hit a game winner against St. Augustine's, he hit the game winner against West Virginia Wesleyan. KT (Taylor) was our first look, Scarberry was our second, Ollie (Megins) was number three."

For the Falcons, Taylor scored 11 points in the second half and 24 points, overall. He connected on six shots from three point range. Frankland finished the game with 18 points and five, three pointers. Five players scored in double-digits and Notre Dame shot 54-percent. NDC won the rebounding battle, 30-28.

"I thought we moved the ball well tonight," said Koenig. "There were times when the ball stuck offensively, but overall I thought we moved the ball well. We had a couple key turnovers that led to runouts. For the most part we took care of the ball. We played well on the offensive end and defensively, but they made shots and we have to pressure the ball better. They're a really good team… It was a high level basketball game."

Shepherd also had five players who scored in double-digits. McKnight scored 23 points off of the bench and shot 58-percent. Lang added 16 points, eight assists and four steals. Carr scored 11 points in the second half and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. The Rams shot 56-percent from the field.

As always, Koenig is staying positive with his group.

"Our guys compete, our guys play hard, our guys stay together," he said. "We're playing better. The results may not be there right now, but over the last couple games, we're playing significantly better. Our guys are executing better and we're a possession or two away from having a different outlook. Our guys are staying positive and we're going to stay the course"

The Falcons will play Fairmont State University, in the Murphy Gymnasium, on January 13. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.