SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – In a closely contested game against UVa-Wise, the Notre Dame College women's basketball team was able to win 65-60 on Senior Day while also securing a first-round bye in the Mountain East Conference Tournament.
 
With 20 lead changes and 10 ties throughout the game, it took until the final 10 seconds for the Falcons pull away. Prior to that, the highest lead for either team was just four points.
 
In the first half, it was a one possession game for all but 100 seconds of play when the Cavaliers held four-point leads. In the second half, it was NDC who would lead by more than a single possession, but they could only do so for 94 seconds. In the 40 minutes of play, 36 minutes and 46 second were played within a three-point differential.
 
The first quarter ended with a 12-12 tie, but UVa-Wise was able to take advantage on free throws in the second quarter to take a 28-26 lead into halftime. Both teams made 11 baskets that included two threes in the first two quarters. The two point difference came from the charity stripe. The Cavs made four of seven attempts while NDC made two of two.
 
The Falcons were able to outscore their visitors by four points in the third quarter to take a 46-44 lead heading into the fourth. Nothing much changed for Notre Dame from the first half to the second, but the team kept up their original plan and tried to get momentum going.
 
"We definitely had to refocus and stick to our game plan," said Jessie Stout on her team's halftime. "We knew if we kept working hard and turning up the tempo that we would be successful in the second half."
 
Part of that game plan, and ultimate success, came from rebounding missed shots. Both teams played well on defense as the offenses combined for just 35 percent shooting, which left a lot of rebounds to be had. Notre Dame came down with 51 boards compared to UVa-Wise's 41. It marks the fifth time this season the Falcons have secured 50 or more rebounds (the first also came against the Cavs in November when NDC outrebounded them 54-38).
 
"It was definitely a key factor in today's game," said Stout who led both teams with 11 rebounds. "They're a team that outrebounds their opponents by an average of four so it was very important for us come out on top in that category. Especially by 10."
 
"It was huge," said head coach Lauren Macer. "Wise has very good post players that usually make it hard on other team to grab those rebounds so it was a great effort by our team to go in and get those boards."
 
Notre Dame was able to shoot the ball 15 more times than Wise because of the extra possessions.
 
Playing against tough competition in the paint was a challenge that NDC came out on top of. Stout earned her sixth double-double of the season with 10 points while Julie Kemp scored 12 and came down with nine rebounds. Stout was straight forward with her strategy after the game, which sounded like a newly patented mantra all post players should have.
 
"Stay straight up," Stout said. "Be as big as I can be. Don't let them push me around too much. Hustle as much as I can. Box out when they shoot."
 
Kemp's numbers were career bests in both points and rebounds as she came just shy of a double-double of her own. After the game Stout said it was great to see Kemp have a game like that.
 
"This was a great game for her," Stout said. "It was really big for her to have a game like this because she has been working really hard in practice so it's good to see it out on the court."
 
But it wasn't just the forwards who won the game for NDC. Seina Adachi led both teams with 24 points and three steals while Katie Karalic led the Falcons with three assists. Overall, though, it was a team effort from start to finish.
 
"I felt like everyone was involved in this game from our starters to people that subbed in and those on our bench," Macer said. "I think this was a game where everyone on our team stayed up and stayed encouraged. They played through possessions and no one let anyone get down on themselves. It was a true team effort to keep the energy up throughout the game."
 
The win was big for a number of reasons, which include crucial seeding in the MEC Tournament, but being able to send Judie Lesesne (had three rebounds in just seven minutes against Wise) and Mackenzie Meckes out with wins in their last home games on Senior Day was definitely a highlight for their coach.
 
"It's great that they'll be able to remember this game with the turnout it had," Macer said. "Both of them mean so much to our team. They have been able to provide the experience of being here for three to four years and knowing how much work and effort it takes to come back year after year and have high expectations for the team.
 
"Judie plays so hard as a post who isn't as tall. We play her there and it's all effort for her to come down with rebounds. Mack has been out most of the year, but she comes to every practice and talks to the girls. She is very encouraging and lets our players know what she sees."
 
Notre Dame will finish the regular season on the road next week, starting with a game on Wednesday, February 27, at West Liberty. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.