CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In her first year as the head coach of Notre Dame College women's basketball, there are few words Lauren Macer has said more than 'heart.' After a 40-minute battle in the Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship, which resulted in an 81-77 loss to No. 5 Glenville State, Macer once again was filled with pride thinking about her team's heart.
 
"This team has played numerous top-10 teams in the country," Macer said. "Every time, no matter what the outcome is, my bet is with them. You can't coach heart. Every time they step on the court, they're giving it their all."
 
That's exactly what the Falcons provided on Sunday afternoon. From the tip to the final buzzer, the team played at peak intensity.
 
At the open of the game, Katie Karalic lifted her team to a 6-4 lead after hitting three-straight layups in 65 seconds. Normally a dominant defensive player, the sophomore guard made her first five attempts from the field.
 
"Katie was awesome tonight," said senior forward Kim Cook. "We were really struggling early to get the ball in the hoop and she took it upon herself to score. She knows she's quick and can get to the hoop. She stepped up and played her role well tonight."
 
After the flurry of layups, the Pioneers went on an 11-point run to earn a 15-6 lead. Notre Dame was able to put the game back within three, but another quick run from the top seed resulted in a 26-18 lead for GSC after the first quarter.
 
Glenville State converted on their first two offensive possessions in the second quarter to push their lead into double-digits before Macer decided to take a timeout and regroup.
 
Trailing 31-18, the Falcons went on a 16-2 run with points scored by six different players to gain their first lead in over 14 minutes. It was a new ball game with 3 minutes to go in the first half.
 
"We're a transition team so we weren't going to stop playing that way, but we were settling and getting only one shot so we had to play defense," Cook said. "We played defense basically the whole first quarter. Once we started attacking and getting things going, we fed off each other. We knew we had to keep putting the pressure on and keep attacking. We had to cut [into their lead.]"
 
Again, GSC recovered to go into halftime with a 41-36 lead, but it was evident that the Falcons were not going to go away quietly.
 
"We knew it was going to be a challenge going into it," Macer said. "They're coached well and they have players that play differently than the rest of the conference. I believed in our players and knew they would step up and do everything in their power to try to succeed."
 
After winning the second quarter 18-15, Notre Dame came out in the third with a bit of momentum. Along with the starting five, Madison Snider and Abi Oriti put on a show in the third quarter.
 
Oriti came in with 8:18 on the clock and immediately made an impact, rebounding three of the next four missed shots. Oriti would finish the game with 10 points and nine rebounds, shooting 50 percent from the field and making all three of her attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Snider saw a season-high 20 minutes, taking over after the team suffered injuries on Saturday. In the third quarter, the senior scored seven points and gathered five rebounds to help put the game within two points. Going into the game, Snider knew she would have to come up big.
 
"I have to step up," Snider said on her thoughts before the game. "I have to do what I've worked so hard for all season. Whether I'm on the A team or the B team in practice, I've worked hard. My teammates always push me. It's been for this moment right here. I knew stepping on the court that I had no other option."
 
NDC won the third quarter 20-17 to make it 58-56, still in favor of the Pioneers.
 
After a layup from GSC, Cook made a layup of her own with a pass from Seina Adachi. Cook would rebound the next miss on defense and once again Adachi would find an open forward. Under the basket, Oriti would get fouled and go to the line for two. Making both, Notre Dame tied the game 60-60.
 
A three from Glenville State was muzzled by a Cook layup on the next play. The Pioneers would hit another three to go up four, but NDC would see its forwards step up once again as Oriti hit a three and a layup to put the Falcons up 67-66 with 6:10 left to play.
 
The teams would trade the lead back and forth six times before GSC found itself up 72-71 with 3:27 to play. The top-five-ranked team would hold on to the lead to win the MEC Championship 81-77, but Notre Dame would head back to South Euclid with their heads held high.
 
"Our players fought hard," Macer said. "My team definitely played with heart against a powerhouse team. I couldn't have asked for more from this group of players."
 
Notre Dame had five players score in double digits. Cook led with 18 points while Adachi scored 17. Karalic, Snider and Oriti put up 13, 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Cook added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double in as many games. Her 34 rebounds, throughout the tournament, tie for second most in MEC history. She also blocked two shots in the championship to total nine over the three tournament games. That mark is good enough for fourth-most in MEC history.
 
"It was big," Cook said on the need to rebound in the postseason. "We're undersized, like everyone knows. Rebounding's all about heart. I took it upon myself to get those boards and push to my quick guard to get up the floor. With it being my senior year, I knew I wanted to go out and get double-doubles. Points and rebounds are the things I can provide my team with and how I've always wanted to play."
 
Cook's 18 points all came from the field as she made nine baskets, which is an MEC Championship record.
 
Close behind Cook was Adachi, who added six rebounds and four assists to her 17 points. Adachi played a key part in getting past Glenville State's press and creating offense for the Falcons.
 
"Seina played a different role for us today and came up huge," Macer said. "That kid has so much heart and there's nothing you can do to stop her because she's so versatile. She had good players around her. We had five players in double digits for us and I don't think that's happened all season. I had a lot of players step up. They're team oriented and constantly encouraging each other. I just think that Seina knew she had to step up, but she knew she had other players around her to support her."
 
The team aspect of the game did escape the player's thoughts. All season long, the Falcons have spoken about how much they enjoy playing together.
 
"My team… they're my family," Snider said. "This entire season we've worked hard and never backed down from a fight. We take every opportunity that comes to us and we work hard and work through it together. That's the only way we've made it this far into the season. We came together as one. We fought and clawed our way into the championship game. We worked hard."
 
Notre Dame came into the week as the 10th-ranked team in the Atlantic Region. Tonight at 10 p.m., the NCAA with select eight teams from the region to go to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I would love for it to happen," Macer said. "I think if we're given that opportunity, we've got a good shot to continue our season."