FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The 2019-20 men's basketball season opener did not lack excitement. For the second consecutive season, the matchup between Notre Dame College and Slippery Rock University came down to the final seconds. This season, the Rock was able to get past the Falcons after Jared Armstrong hit a buzzer-beating three pointer to win, 78-76, on Friday evening.

Notre Dame was off to the races to begin the game, going ahead 8-0 in the first two minutes. Sophomore Levi Frankland and senior Bruce Hodges III both converted on fast break opportunities, while freshman Jordan Burton hit a jumper and two free throws.

The Falcons held the lead until Slippery Rock put together a 6-0 run, going ahead 17-15, with 11:14 remaining in the first half.

The teams traded the lead four times in the final 10 minutes before halftime. Slippery Rock grabbed the lead, 28-26, with 2:50 to go in the first half and did not give it back. However, they could not pull ahead by more than four points. With two seconds left, Hodges was fouled as he made a layup. After he hit the free throw, Notre Dame trailed by one point, 32-31.

At halftime, Frankland led the Falcons with 12 points on four made shots, junior Dae John Walker-Bey had six points and six rebounds, while senior Drew Scarberry added five assists, which was already a career-high.

In the first five minutes of the second half, the lead changed hands eight times. With 10:43 remaining in the game, Frankland completed a three point play, after a foul, to cut the NDC deficit to three points, 56-53. But a 7-0 SRU run put the Rock ahead by 10 points, 63-53. That was the largest lead of the game for either team.

Still down by 10 points with less than eight minutes to go, the Falcons found the spark they needed.  Scarberry hit a three and then stole the ball on defense. That led to senior Larenz Thurman hitting a three. Scarberry rebounded the ball on the defensive end and then assisted on another triple by Frankland. In just over a minute, Notre Dame was down by one point, 65-64.

The final 1:10 of the game featured six lead changes. Thurman hit back-to-back shots which gave NDC a 72-71 lead. After the teams went back-and-forth in the final minute, Thurman was fouled and hit two clutch free throws, giving Notre Dame a 76-75 lead with four seconds remaining.

Last season, it was Will Vorhees who hit a shot with three seconds left to give NDC a 77-75 win over SRU in the 2018-19 season opener. But this season, coming out of a timeout, Slippery Rock's three point specialist Jared Armstrong knocked down the buzzer beating heart breaker from behind the three point line.

Frankland ended the game with a career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (6). He went 9-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Thurman totaled all 14 points in the second half on 56-percent shooting. Scarberry finished with 11 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and seven assists. Hodges finished with 13 points. The Falcons shot 55-percent from the field in the second half, including 42-percent from three point land.

Will Robinson led the Rock with 25 points and 17 rebounds. He shot 69-percent. Armstrong had 20 points and made four threes. SRU shot 53-percent, and 56-percent from three, in the second half.

Notre Dame will battle Millersville University, in Fairmont, W.Va., tomorrow. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.