SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Whenever Notre Dame College and Slippery Rock University match up in the season opener, the two teams put on a show and Friday night was no different. The Falcons found themselves down 80-59 with 9:17 remaining in the game, but outscored the Rock 40-15 throughout the remaining second half and overtime to win, 99-95.

Notre Dame has met Slippery Rock in their season opener, three of the last four season. NDC holds a record of 2-1 in those matchups, but all of the games have been decided by four points, or less.

Both teams started the game shooting the ball well. Slippery Rock knocked down their first four shots, while NDC hit three of their first four shots, which were all three pointers.

Senior Tyland Crawford had already connected on his third shot from beyond the arc, less than four minutes into the game to tie the score at 12. A few minutes later, freshman DeAirius Barker stole the ball and hit a fastbreak jumper to knot the score at 19. But, SRU went on their first run of the game with 13 minutes to go before halftime.

A 10-2 run put the Rock in front, 29-21, as the Falcons struggled shooting from the field and only scored on free throws during the scoring run. NDC would get as close as four points, but Slippery Rock pulled ahead again toward the end of the half.

Another 10-4 run in the final three minutes of the first half gave Slippery Rock a 54-44 advantage as the teams went to their locker rooms. The Falcons were shooting 50-percent from the field and 50-percent from three in the first 20 minutes, but SRU was shooting 59-percent from the field and 57-percent from three-point range.

The Falcons tried to use the momentum of a buzzer beating shot at the end of the first half by Barker. They scored the first four points of the half and stole the ball. Slippery Rock had other plans and pulled ahead by 21 points, 80-59, with 9:17 to go.

With less than eight minutes remaining, NDC needed a spark and they got one. Junior Michael Kirkland knocked down a layup, off of an assist by Crawford, and was fouled. Following a media timeout, Kirkland finished the three-point play with a free throw. Those three points started a 25-4 run to end the second half.

Sophomore John Godinez stepped up on the offensive end, and he scored 13 points on NDC's scoring run. The NDC defense made it difficult for Slippery Rock, and the Rock missed 10 shots and turned the ball over four times in the final eight minutes.

The Falcons' defense had possibly their most important stop of the game with under a minute to go. SRU tried to pass the ball around but could not find an open shot or a lane to drive. They turned the ball over because of a shot clock violation. On the other end, Kirkland hauled in an offensive rebound and, following a timeout, Godinez tied the contest at 86.

The Rock jumped ahead three different times in overtime, but the Falcons continued to tie the score. With under two minutes to go, junior Michael Sampson grabbed an offensive rebound, hit a layup, stole the ball on defense and scored the ball on the offensive side to put NDC ahead (95-94) for the first time since early in the first half.

Sampson picked up where he left off last season and finished with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). He also led the team with six assists and three steals.

Junior Jaedon Willis hit a jumper and then Sampson closed the game with two free throws. In the final 2:03 of overtime, Slippery Rock missed three shot from the field, along with two free throws.

"I was proud of how our team stuck together. We made a ton of mistakes but still found a way to win," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We've talked all preseason about handling adversity and today we were able to do that. It was a total team effort particularly the final nine minutes. That's who we have to be if we want to be successful this season."

The Falcons took advantage of the Rock's 15 turnovers, scoring 23 points off of the miscues. NDC also brought in 12 offensive rebounds in the second half and overtime and had 19 second chance points after the first half.

Willis led the team with 21 points and Crawford finished with 16. They both knocked down four three pointers. Kirkland (14) and Barker (12) scored double-digits off the bench.

The Falcons will stay in Slippery Rock and play Seton Hill University, tomorrow, with a scheduled tip-off time of 5 p.m.