WHEELING, W.Va. – Victories never come easy in the Mountain East Conference Tournament and that proved to be true on Saturday for Notre Dame College, who won 73-66 in their MEC Semifinal. Although the Falcons drove their lead to 19 points and outscored the University of Charleston 22-12 in the third quarter, the lead was reduced to five points in the fourth, before NDC put the game away.

With the top two defenses in the MEC squaring off, it was no surprise the first quarter was low scoring. This season, Charleston led the conference by allowing 63.8 points per game and NDC ranks second, allowing 70.5 points.

Four minutes into the game, NDC led by a score of 4-3. Later, Theresa Parr made a shot, putting the Falcons on top by three points, 11-8, with 3:03 remaining on the clock. Charleston shot just 25-percent in the first quarter, which included a 1-for-6 stretch over the final three minutes. But, the one shot they hit in the final three minutes was Dakota Reeves' three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 11.

The second quarter was also a battle as the teams traded the lead nine times. The first significant run took place from the 5:07-mark to the 3:25-mark in the quarter, as Seina Adachi knocked down back-to-back threes and Jada Marone hit two free throws and NDC went on an 8-0 run to take the largest lead of the second quarter, 25-19.

Charleston responded by going getting the ball around the basket. Anna Hayton made a layup, was fouled and hit the free throw. A 10-2 run was put together by the Golden Eagles with layups and free throws.

The Falcons closed out the half with a 4-0 run and went into the locker room leading 31-29, despite shooting just 38-percent in the second quarter, compared to Charleston's 50-percent shooting. At halftime, Marone had seven points for NDC, with six rebounds and five assists. Oduho also had seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, while Adachi added six points with two 3-pointers.

For Charleston at the half, Brooklyn Pannell, who averaged 22.5 points per game against NDC in two meetings this season, was held to two first half points on 1-of-5 shooting. She would finish with 14 points and 29-percent shooting.

"Their big three that we focused on was Brooklyn Pannell, Dakota Reeves and Anna Hayton," said Head Coach Lauren Macer. "An off game for [Pannell] is 14 points, she's a good player, but I think our girls took it one possession at a time and focused on what their job was, what their assignment was and they were going to play together and finish that possession."

Although NDC's strongest offensive quarter was the third, scoring 22 points on 40-percent shooting, it did not start that way. Both teams came out of the halftime break making one of their first seven shots.

With five minutes remaining in the stanza, Charleston was still closing in and trailed by just one point after Pannell knocked down a three. The Falcons then put a wide margin between themselves and UC. Tamia Ridley, who had scored four straight points before the Pannell three, connected on a jumper to cap a personal 6-0 run. Kyleigh Ramlow sank a long range shot on the next possession as the momentum began to swing toward NDC. In all, the Falcons finished the quarter on a 14-3 run and led, 53-41.

Ridley finished with a season-high 10 points in 24 minutes. It was only the second game of her career that she scored in double-digits.

"My mindset was just to go in and win, to help the team," Ridley said. "And then just doing the little things to help us get to the next part of our goal."

"After halftime, we refocused and got those first half jitters out," Macer said. "Going into halftime, it was a pretty close game so we had to figure out what to do to extend the lead. We took advantage of some of the defenses they were showing and we took advantage of matchups that we saw. It came from [the players], they just focused and played together."

The fourth quarter began with seven consecutive points from Seina Adachi. She connected a layup after being fouled, and then made the free throw. Her sister, Marina Adachi, stole the ball and then dished to Seina for the driving layup on the next possession. Finally, Ridley came up with a block on one end and Adachi made a layup on the other end. With 7:52 to go in the game, NDC's lead swelled to 19 points, 60-41.

Adachi, who made just three shots through three quarters, shot 50-percent (3-for-6) and made four free throws in the fourth quarter.

"I struggled a little bit today, but I think I picked it up in the second half," Adachi said. "Mimi [Tamia Ridley] and bench players, like my sister, stepped it up today."

But the game was far from over as Charleston came back at the Falcons with a 9-0 run and cut the NDC lead to ten points, 60-50, with 3:25 left. With less than a minute to go, UC cut the deficit even more. A 7-1 run over 30 seconds made the score a five-point difference, 69-64.

The Falcons would close it out with defense and just the right amount of free throws.

"Today was good, it was nice to see our whole team step up all in different roles," Macer said. "We had a couple people who didn't play a ton of minutes who stepped up today for us, whether it was because of foul trouble or matchups, they got out there and they made us proud. It definitely was a team win today."

Adachi finished with 20 points and nine rebounds while Marone added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Oduho totaled 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Falcons shot the ball at 38-percent for the game, which is their third lowest shooting percentage of the season. The Falcons outrebounded Charleston, 48-36, which was a major point of emphasis.

"I talked about this with them in the locker room before the game and at halftime and after the game," Macer said. "We know it's something that makes a difference in the game. From my assistant, Imani [Gordon] to all the girls on the bench reminding everyone 'box out,' 'crash,' 'board.' We know it's the difference between an extra possession for them and solidifying a possession for us. It really came from the heart today. They're bigger than us, but we knew we had to get the ball."

Charleston shot just 34-percent, with Anna Hayton leading the way with 19 points. Erykah Russell added 11 points and 13 rebounds.

With the win, the Falcons advance to their third MEC Championship game, becoming just the second team to appear in more than two. Their matchup with the No. 1 seed Glenville State College will be a rematch of the 2018 MEC Final, a game which many of the current seniors played.

"I think the experience of being here a couple years ago definitely helps," Macer explained. "And I think each year, they've had a different experience, and this season, knowing it's their final year, has really provided extra motivation. I think the underclassmen have seen the work the seniors have put in for the program over the course of the four year. They want it for them."

The Falcons will play Glenville State College, tomorrow, in the MEC Championship game. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.