BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – With just a one-point lead going into halftime, the Notre Dame College women's basketball team came alive in the second half to win by 17 points (85-68) at West Virginia Wesleyan.
 
In the first half, the Falcons (10-5, 6-2 MEC) took a 32-31 lead against the Bobcats (5-9, 3-5 MEC). The score was close, but each team took different paths to get there. Wesleyan reached the free-throw line 12 times, scoring nine points, compared to NDC's three attempts at the line. Notre Dame made three more field goals, including a three-pointer, to make up the difference.
 
Coming out of the locker room in the second half, the Falcons found their groove. NDC scored over 25 points in each of the final two quarters while holding WVWC to 17 and 20 in the third and fourth, respectively.
 
Shooting 60 percent from the field and 67 percent from beyond the arc, making eight threes total in the last twenty minutes pushed Notre Dame to its tenth win of the season.
 
The starting five led the Falcons in the second half as they scored 41 of the team's 53 points and made 74 percent of their shots (17-of-23). Overall, four of the starting five scored in double digits while the fifth scored nine points.
 
Kim Cook and Seina Adachi led the team with 17 points each as Katie Karalic and Maggie King scored 10 apiece.
 
"It was great for our starters to play together on both sides of the floor," said head coach Lauren Macer. "It was a team win, in many ways that don't always show on the stat sheet. The team played with energy and communicated well on and off the court."
 
Macer has called on a lot of players throughout this season and even though they were playing well, none of her players saw more than 29 minutes on the court. Seventeen Falcons contributed to the win after falling to Glenville State on Thursday.
 
Notre Dame hasn't lost back-to-back games since this swing last season when the GSC and Wesleyan won on January 3 and 5, 2017.
 
Cook led the team with eight rebounds and five assists as the senior forward continues her successful season. Point guards Mackenzie Meckes and Marisa Finazzo had their fair share of dimes with four assists and three, respectively. Finazzo also gathered seven rebounds, a career high for 5-3 sophomore.
 
"Marisa plays with so much heart and gives consistent effort," Macer said on Finazzo's ability to rebound. "She is a spark for our team."
 
Finazzo has had five or more rebounds seven times this season and ranks third on the team with an average of 3.7. Another area Finazzo excels in is in her assist-to-turnover ratio, which led the MEC entering the week. The Willoughby Hills, Ohio native committed zero turnovers for the second time in three games, and NDC as a whole took care of the ball at Wesleyan.
 
This was the fifth time this season the Falcons have recorded 20 or more assists, but it was just the second time they turned the ball over less than 10 times. Their six turnovers were the lowest of the season.
 
"It is important for us to take care of the ball no matter who we are playing," Macer said.
 
Notre Dame will host its first home game of 2018 on Thursday, January 11, against Shepherd. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.