SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – In the home opener inside Murphy Gymnasium, Notre Dame College made 15 threes as a team and had three players score in double-figures which helped put an end to multiple comeback attempts by Wheeling University in a 76-65 victory, on Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons jumped out to a big first quarter lead thanks in part to shots made behind the three-point line. NDC connected on nine shots in the first 10 minutes, with seven of them being triples. Six offensive rebounds helped extend possessions and take a 25-14 advantage going into the second quarter.

Wheeling took control of the second quarter, outscoring Notre Dame by 11 points (21-10). The Cardinals trailed by 13 points early in the quarter, but then went on a 12-2 run and trailed by just three points, 29-26, with 6:44 to go before halftime.

The offense continued for the visitors and although they never took the lead, a three pointer by Emily Holzopfel tied the game at 35 going into the locker room.

To start the third quarter, NDC was ready to take, and then build, a lead. After two offensive rebounds on their first possession of the second half, junior Jada Marone knocked down a three and that started a 9-0 run. Sophomore Marina Adachi then made a three on back-to-back possessions, giving Notre Dame a 44-35 advantage.

Notre Dame pulled ahead by 10 points, 48-38, after senior Julie Kemp connected on a jumper with 6:18 remaining. But Wheeling clawed back, once again, and an 8-0 run closed the deficit to two points with three minutes left in the third. NDC led by just two points heading into the final 10 minutes.

After WU shot 70-percent in the third quarter, Notre Dame went 8-for-13 (62-percent) in the fourth and outscored the Cardinals, 21-12.

Following a 5-0 run in a little over a minute by Wheeling, NDC needed a spark and that came from Adachi as she knocked down her sixth three pointer of the game.

"After that [three], we had so much energy, so that was good," Adachi said.

The shot was good for the Falcons as it was the beginning of an 11-4 run for NDC over the final 6:11 of the contest.

Adachi's six threes tied her for seventh all-time in a single game in NDC history. As a team, the Falcons' 15 made threes are tied for third in program history.

"The team played well together today," said head coach Lauren Macer. "We had a game with lots of assists and lots of touches on the ball. The team battled and provided a high energy environment for the game. We are going to keep growing, learning, and preparing for each game."

Notre Dame had four assists in their win over West Liberty on Thursday. On Sunday, that number increased to 18.

"Last game we didn't have many assists and that's what we talked about," Adachi said. "And this game, we did a really good job. And that's how I was able to shoot a lot of threes, so it was a team effort."

Adachi led the way in scoring with a career-high 20 points, but Marone also had 19 and junior Theresa Parr added a career-high 14. Both Marone and Parr had seven assists. That was a career-high for Parr and tied Marone's career-high. Seven players pulled down multiple rebounds and seven players had at least one steal.

Notre Dame will get back on the court on Jan. 13 in Institute, W.Va. against West Virginia State University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.