SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – In the final game of the regular season, the Notre Dame College women's basketball team won 81-72 against Urbana after a big third quarter and career milestone set on Senior Day.
 
Similar to their game on Wednesday, the Falcons found themselves down midway through the first quarter, but bounced back. The Blue Knights were up by as many as seven points before NDC got things going to win the first 10 minutes 19-17. There was some back and forth in the second quarter, which resulted in a 38-38 tie going into half time.
 
Less than two minutes into the second, senior Kim Cook scored her 1,000th career point. Cook needed just 13 points to reach the milestone, but she surpassed that mark to score 22 points and lead both teams.
 
"It really means a lot to me," Cook said. "I got hurt in high school and missed an entire year. I ended up being 13 points short so I wasn't able to hit that mark in high school. It was such a big goal of mine and being able to reach it was very emotional. I couldn't do it without my teammates because they do so much for me. And it was so nice to be able to do it in front of my family and with people that care about me. It was awesome."
 
In the third quarter, things opened up for Notre Dame as they took a 10-point lead heading into the fourth. Urbana closed the gap to just three points with 44 seconds to play, but the Seina Adachi hit a dagger three-point shot 20 seconds later to give the Falcons a cushion. Adachi made three field goals from beyond the arc during the contest after three-straight games without a make from distance.
 
"Seina's really developed her ability to recognize what the defense is giving her," Macer said. "The past few games, teams have been taking away her three and she's been able to go to the rim. Today, they were still trying to take that away, but she was driving well so they were forced to give her some space. She took advantage of that."
 
Head coach Lauren Macer expected a tough game after honoring her four seniors prior to the contest.
 
"I knew going into the game that it would be an emotional day," Macer said. "I expected a little chaos and that's what they gave me. The players went hard, they hustled and they were scrappy. I knew on some of those plays we'd convert. Ultimately, I trust my players and that's a great feeling to have as a coach. "
 
The Falcons weren't going to let their final home game slip away, which was evident in how they played. Half of the teams rebound came on the offensive end resulting in 21 second-chance points. Katie Karalic brought in six offensive boards while Cook had five and fellow senior Madison Snider secured three.
 
"They knew we needed hustle plays and they weren't going to stop until we had the ball," Macer said. "It was a great mentality they had tonight. You can't coach that. That's heart and that's hustle and that's effort."
 
Cook added six defensive rebounds to lead the game with 11 and record her ninth double-double of the season. Along with Marisa Finazzo, Cook also led the team with three steals.
 
"As a player I always do what my team needs me to do," Cook said. "Whenever coach tells me that she needs me to rebound, or defend a certain player, or whatever it is, I step up to the challenge. Doing all the little things helps me score and helps other people score a lot so I'm happy that at my last game at home, I was able to bring it all together."
 
Sending the seniors out with a win in their last home is something Notre Dame has been able to accomplish for five-straight seasons.
 
"It means the world to us," Cook said about the Senior Day victory. "We've had such a great season and our team is so close that getting this win on the last home game made it that much better."
 
The Falcons move on to the MEC Tournament next week as the No. 2 seed and Macer has a simple formula that she believes will lead to postseason success.
 
"Play together. Play together on offense and play together on defense."
 
Notre Dame will play the winner of Charleston and Urbana on Thursday, March 1, at 12 p.m.