SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame College tied their season-high in three pointers made with 11, while shooting 50-percent from long range, in an 86-75 win over Bryant & Stratton College Buffalo. The win puts the Falcons' record at 8-2 on the season, tying the 2008-09 team for the best start in program history.

Notre Dame drove to the basket early in the game, looking for points in the paint. Junior Tyland Crawford quickly found a lane and put the first two points on the board with a layup. A couple minutes later, junior Michael Sampson stole the ball and found Crawford for another layup to put NDC up 4-3, with 18:04 on the clock.

Crawford stole the ball with 15:16 to go and freshman DeAirius Barker was out on the run for a layup to put NDC in front by four points (11-7).

The game had remained close, but that layup by Barker started a 9-0 run for NDC, who led 18-7 by the 12:53-mark in the first stanza. Notre Dame would expand their lead to 13 by the 10 minute-mark.

"[Bryant & Stratton] had struggled guarding the penetration a little bit throughout the year," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We were trying to play inside out and we forced them to go zone. Then we got a little bit stagnant offensively when they went zone. We turned the ball over a few times and let them back in the game."

The visiting Bobcats then turned the tables by going on a 20-8 run. Eric Waters, who finished the first half with 16 points, led Bryant & Stratton on their run with nine points and an assist. With 2:55 to go before halftime, B&SC had erased the Falcons' lead and grabbed a 37-36 advantage.

NDC started to hit shots near the end of the half, as a three-pointer by Barker put Notre Dame back in front. Freshman Jamarr Talbert Jr., who saw his first collegiate minutes of his career, knocked down a layup with 1:25 to go. The game was tied at 41, but Sampson blew past a defender and got into the paint to give NDC a 43-41 halftime lead.

The Falcons were shooting well after 20 minutes of play, going 17-for-31 (55-percent), but the Bobcats were shooting the ball at a 57-percent clip.

"We had to play some defense," Willis said. "We got out early, got a bit of a lead and then we let up. We went to the locker room and knew we had to lock in defensively. I thought we did that and then we got stops and opened the game up again."

The Falcons stepped outside in the second half, as the long range shot became a bigger part of their game. Freshman John Godinez knocked down a three to start the second half. Willis started his second half scoring barrage by hitting a three-point shot with 15:02 remaining to put NDC on top, 54-48.

Willis scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half. He also had five of his season-high six three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.

The Falcons built their largest lead of the game when Crawford and Willis hit back-to-back three pointers, around the seven minute-mark. Those shots capped a 15-3 run for the Falcons over four minutes of action, after Bryant & Stratton had closed the gap to three points (60-57).

After that point, the closest that B&SC could get the rest of the way was nine points.

NDC shot the ball well again in the second half. They went 15-for-28 (54-percent) from the field and 8-for-14 (57-percent) from long range. Throughout the full 40 minutes, Notre Dame shot 54-percent and 50-percent from behind the three-point arc.

Crawford finished with 14 points, to go along with a season-high five assists and three steals. Sampson did a little bit of everything, making all three of his shots from the field for seven points, along with nine rebounds and six assists.

"I'm excited where we're at, but I don't think we are anywhere near where we can be," Richmond mentioned. "We have some talented guys offensively. Defensively, we have to continue to get better. We don't have a seven-footer back there, blocking shots and covering up mistakes. So we have to do better protecting the rim and stepping in and taking charges."

Notre Dame will head to Melbourne, Fla. for the Florida Tech Winter Classic this weekend. They will play Florida Tech on Dec. 19, at 7 p.m.