WHEELING, W.Va. – On Wednesday night, Notre Dame College men's basketball did something they had never done in program history: defeat Wheeling Jesuit University in a road matchup. The Falcons downed the Cardinals by a score of 83-72, pushing their winning streak to four games.

Notre Dame (6-1, 3-0 MEC) got off to a fast start, leading 5-0 at the 18:25-mark, after a pair of free throws by freshman Isaiah Sanders and a three pointer by sophomore Halil Parks. The Falcons slowly pushed their lead and held an advantage of seven points, about six minutes later, when Sanders made a layup and the subsequent foul shot.

Shooting struggles, particularly in the first ten minutes, plagued both teams and kept the contest close. NDC could not extend their lead over seven points until there were 94 seconds left, in the half.

"We had good looks but we didn't hit shots," said head coach Tim Koenig. "We didn't move the ball and bodies like we usually do. But we still got the looks."

The Cardinals (0-6, 0-3 MEC) tied the contest at 23 with 6:05 to go, but then freshman Larenz Thurman hit a three pointer, which started a 15-4 NDC run over the final six minutes. Thurman had nine of his 11 first half points in that span. The Falcons led, 38-27, at the halftime break.

"(Late in the first half) we were able to get out in transition and get easy baskets and we hit open shots," Koenig mentioned. "We also finished possessions with rebounds. Our defense led to offense."

Senior Will Vorhees only had six points and three rebounds in the half, but Koenig said he played a big role, even against tough defense.

"Wheeling Jesuit was doubling Will even before he got the ball and he became such a willing passer," Coach said. "He's all about the team and I'm so impressed with his demeanor and unselfishness."

Notre Dame, again, knocked down shots to start the second half. Sanders broke away and hit a fast break layup and senior Angelo Cugini converted on a layup to give NDC a 15 point lead, 42-27.

The impressive second half shooting of WJU (42-percent from the field and 46-percent from three) really kept the Cardinals in the game. However, the Falcons also shot the ball very well and prevented Wheeling Jesuit from making a significant run at NDC.

Pushing their lead to 19 points on a Hamish Warden three pointer, with 8:27 to go, Notre Dame was comfortably in front. Wheeling Jesuit started to hit shots and after an 18-9 run over four minutes, the lead was cut to 10 points, 71-61. WJU knocked down six of the seven three pointers that they shot on that run.

"Overall, our defense was really good tonight," Koenig said. "We had a couple lapses on defense when were ahead 18 or 19 points. If we don't execute, they will make you pay and for about three or four minutes, we didn't have great rotations."

In the final three minutes of action, Notre Dame put their foot back on the gas pedal. Thurman, Vorhees and Sanders combined to score 11 of the team's final 12 points in the game.

Improving to a 3-0 record in conference, Koenig continues to be impressed with his team on the road.

"I'm proud of the guys, they controlled the game," he commented. "Anytime you can win by double-digits in this league is a good day. This was a good win."

Thurman scored 15 points in the second half and had 26 in the game, on 57-percent shooting. Sanders and Vorhees each totaled 15 points. Vorhees had 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards while Sanders was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Parks scored 15 points and Cugini grabbed 13 rebounds. The Falcons' starters shot all of the Notre Dame free throws and combined to go 29-for-33 (88-percent).

Brendan Hoban and Steve Cannady combined for 30 points for the Cardinals and connected on nine three pointers. They both knocked down four threes in the second half. Miguel Rodriguez gave WJU 14 points off the bench, including four, three pointers.

Notre Dame will come home to battle No. 10 West Liberty University on December 2. The game will tipoff at 4 p.m.