WHEELING, W.Va. – The Notre Dame College women's basketball team (12-6, 8-3 MEC) suffered a 70-58 loss at Wheeling Jesuit (7-10, 4-6).
 
The Cardinals got off to a strong start, scoring the first seven points of the game, but NDC fought back to finish the first quarter trailing by just one point (11-10). Early in the second quarter, the Falcons gained a one-point lead which was then traded back and forth before WJU went on a run to make it 27-18 at halftime.
 
The game continued in that fashion as each team made runs. Just as Notre Dame would close the gap, Wheeling Jesuit would open it back up. The Falcons won the third quarter 16-15, but the Cardinals wouldn't give up their lead and ultimately held on to win.
 
Multiple possessions ended with open shots for NDC, but making those open shots proved to be difficult as the Falcons made just 37.7 percent of their shots, their second lowest shooting percentage this season. A key part of that struggle was how the team shot from distance as they made just three of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc. 
 
"Our shots just weren't falling tonight," said head coach Lauren Macer. "We have to keep working to make sure we can hit."
 
Kim Cook and Seina Adachi were hitting for NDC, however, as they combined for 37 points. Cook led the team with 22 points in a career-best performance. Cook and Maggie King led the team with six rebounds as Adachi led with three assists.
 
"Kim's a strong post player," Macer said. "She was making strong moves and finishing around the rim for us tonight."
 
Prior to this season, Cook hadn't scored 20 points in a game. This year, the senior has done it twice.
 
Notre Dame will look to bounce back at Urbana on Saturday, January 20. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.