URBANA, Ohio – Notre Dame College led most of the game and then used three big free throws from freshman Halil Parks near the end of regulation to push the game into overtime where the Falcons would beat Urbana University by a score of 97-85, on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons (5-13, 3-9 MEC) started strong with redshirt-junior Angelo Cugini and redshirt-sophomore Drew Scarberry scoring NDC's first nine points to put them ahead 9-4 with 16:18 to go in the first half.

Urbana (3-14, 2-10 MEC) went on an 8-2 run after falling behind by eight points early in the first half. The Blue Knights trailed by just two points, 14-12, at the 13:02-mark.

With 9:10 remaining before halftime, the Falcons started a 15-7 run and six minutes later, NDC had increased their lead to 10 points, 38-28.

Notre Dame would up the lead to 12 points and eventually took a 44-37 lead into halftime.

Senior Kyauta Taylor scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, overall, and 4-of-5 from three point range. Cugini had 13 points and five rebounds at the break. The Falcons shot 65-percent from the field. For Urbana, Roy Hatchett had 12 points and went 5-for-8 from the field while Carlas Jackson scored 11 points. The Blue Knights shot 46-percent in the first half.

The second half was a back-and –forth battle throughout. NDC pushed the lead to 11 points, 48-37, with nearly 19 minutes to go in the game, but the Blue Knights put together a 7-0 offensive run to cut their deficit to four points.

Notre Dame then scored the next seven points, including five points from Taylor. The Falcons continued scoring but could not shake UU.

Urbana could not get closer than three points until the 3:24-mark when a layup by Mike Ryan reduced the Falcons' lead to 76-75. A three pointer with 2:21 to go by Jackson gave the Blue Knights a 78-76 lead, their first lead since the game was 2-0. Jackson's three pointer capped a 10-0 scoring run for Urbana.

Head coach Tim Koenig spoke about how Urbana was able to take the late lead.

"They pressed us, sped us up, caused turnovers and were more physical than they were early in the game," he said. "They played well and hit tough shots, but we weren't playing the defense that we played in the first half and early in the second half. There were a lot more break downs."

In the final minute of the game, Parks scored a layup to cut the Blue Knights' lead to one point, 80-79. After two successful Urbana free throws, Parks missed a three pointer with two seconds left but was fouled by Abdul Kanu. The Falcons' guard then knocked down all three shots from the charity stripe to tie the game at 82.

The Falcons controlled the overtime period. They got points from Taylor, Parks, Cugini, Scarberry and senior Oliver Megins before Urbana scored a point. Their 12 point lead, 94-82, would be enough for the Falcons to get the victory. NDC outscored Urbana 15-3 in overtime.

"I'm just so happy for this team," Koenig said. "We have great guys and they're working their tails off. We stuck together and our defense was good today."

For Notre Dame, six players scored in double-digits. Taylor scored 25 points and had six rebounds. He shot 53-percent and made seven three pointers. Parks added 22 points and grabbed six rebounds. He had 17 points in the second half and overtime, combined. Cugini finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. NDC shot 52-percent from the floor and the Falcons are now 2-2 in overtime games this season.

"It was a total team effort today," Koenig mentioned. "Obviously, six guys scored in double-digits, but Jack Kelsheimer gave us a boost with his minutes and Aaron Beidleman, Daniel Atcheson, Levi Frankland, Will Vorhees were all really vocal on the bench. On the floor, our communication was way better."

For Urbana, Ethan Snapp scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds. Jackson added 16 points and knocked down four three pointers. Both Snapp and Malik Jacobs had 11 points in the second half. UU shot 43-percent from the floor.

NDC will come back home to play West Virginia State University on January 24. The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.