GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The Notre Dame College women's basketball (9-5, 5-2) team suffered its second Mountain East loss at No. 23 Glenville State (11-1, 7-0) Thursday evening 84-69.
 
The Falcons held their own for much of the first half, leading 27-24 with just 2:26 left in the second quarter before the Pioneers went on a 14-point run. Abi Oriti pushed the deficit back under double-digits with a three-pointer in the final seconds to make it 38-30 going into halftime.
 
Six of the 14 points GSC scored in their run were off turnovers. Overall, the nationally ranked team scored 29 points off NDC turnovers. This is a normal occurrence for the Pioneers as they average 31 points off turnovers in 12 games this season.

"They are a well coached team," head coach Lauren Macer said. "They're a tough matchup because they play fast the entire 40 minutes."
 
In the second half, Glenville State increased its lead to 59-45 after the third quarter, but the Falcons got back on track in the fourth quarter, only being outscored 25-24 in the highest scoring quarter of the game.
 
Sophomore guard Seina Adachi led the team in the second half where she scored 12 of her 15 points. Marisa Finazzo, who totaled 14 points, also played well in the last two quarters with eight points.
 
Previously, NDC was 3-1 when Finazzo reached double digit scoring, but her 7-of-14 shooting wasn't enough to push her team to another victory. In the Falcon's five losses this season, four have come against ranked opponents. But just like their previous games against ranked teams, NDC showed they can compete.
 
Prior to tonight, the closest conference game Glenville State had played was a 21-point game against West Liberty on November 18. GSC has won a conference game by as many as 72 points this season. This game was the closest game the Pioneers have played since their opening weekend on November 11 and 12.
 
Kim Cook recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and rebounds. Cook also led the team with three assists while five other players recorded two each.
 
Defensively, Cook recorded two blocks and Maggie King led the team with three steals.

In the first game back from break, Macer saw some areas of improvement that should stick with the team throughout the remainder of the year.

"Our depth is really improving as we move forward. Different players are stepping up and learning their roles, which helps us as coaches and helps the team overall. We are also playing with a more consistent effort. We saw tonight, against a team with a lot of strong players, that if we go hard the entire game we'll find our rhythm. We just need to keep improving as we go."
 
Notre Dame will look to bounce back against West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, Janurary 6, at 2 p.m.