SOUTH EUCLID, OH – The Notre Dame College women's basketball team (4-4, 3-1 MEC) hosted Concord University (5-2, 2-2 MEC) on Saturday afternoon. A clutch three-pointer from Marina Adachi and a dominant double-double performance from Tamia Ridley help seal the deal inside Murphy Gymnasium, as Notre Dame sneaks by Concord 82-78 after two overtimes.
 
"I was extremely proud at the way we bounced back today." exclaimed head coach Imani Gordon, "We played hard, and we played tough."
 
In the first quarter, Notre Dame came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, shooting 11-15 (73.3%) from the field during the period. The hot start by the Falcons allowed NDC to jump out to a 27-16 lead after the first ten minutes. The quarter was highlighted by a 12-0 Falcon run between the five- and three-minute marks.
 
In the second quarter, the Mountain Lions would flip the scrip, allowing NDC to just nine points on 5-14 (35.7%) shooting during the period. CU would win the quarter 15-9, but Notre Dame would still hold a 36-31 lead at the break.
 
In the third quarter, Concord would grab their first lead of the game at 6:52 mark after a quick 5-0 run. The two sides would then exchange baskets for the remainder of the quarter, as CU pushed the game to 53-50 Mountain Lions, their largest lead thus far. Concord controlled the period by a score of 22-14.
 
In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame went on a 10-2 run over the majority of the period until the 2:47 mark, making the score 60-55. Again, the two sides would exchange baskets to end the quarter. Alana Ellis sunk two free throws with 36 seconds left, but CU's Jaisah Smith scampered back down the court to net the game-tying layup with 33 seconds remaining. The scoring would halt at 64-64 at the end of regulation after Smith had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer for the Mountain Lions.
 
During the first overtime, both teams struggled to score the basketball at first with Jen Oduho netting NDC's first field goal at the 1:40 mark to tie the game at 68-68. Oduho would tie the contest once more on another jump shot after Concord's Riley Fitzwater made two free throws. With just 30 seconds remaining, CU turned to Smith once more as the sophomore guard put Concord on top 72-70. Smith would then split a pair of free throws with ten ticks remaining to push the CU lead to 73-70.
 
Still with ten seconds remaining, head coach Imani Gordon opted to sub in her three-point specialist in Adachi and call timeout to draw up one final play. With just two seconds remaining it was Adachi right on que who knocked down a three-pointer from the Keller Center parking lot, over the outstretched arm of the 6'4" Fitzwater, to tie the contest at 73-73 and send the game into another overtime.
 
"Marina came in and hit a huge shot for us." mentioned Gordon, "She was ready when her name was called. Everyone was ready and came to play."
 
In the second overtime period, NDC faced their largest deficit with 3:21 remaining, as Concord led 77-73. The Falcons would then put together a short 6-0 run to regain control 79-77 with 1:43 remaining. Amil Ali-Shakir would find the basket with 19 seconds and Ridley would split a pair of free throws to ensure an 82-78 victory for the Falcons.
 
When asked about the team's performance, Gordon had this to say, "I am proud of this team. We keep growing and getting better everyday and that's all you can ask for as a coach!"
 
On offense, Oduho scored a team-high 20 points, as Ridley added a season-high 16, Ellis totaled 14 and Ali-Shakir generated 13, as NDC shot 42.9% from the field, 38.9% from deep and 53.6% from the line (15-28). In addition, Lilee Carlson dished out a career-high six assists.
 
In terms of rebounds, Ridley was a dominant force in the paint as she totaled a game-high 15 boards to secure her second double-double performance of the season. The senior also totaled four assists and two blocks to add to her stuffed stat sheet. Ali-Shakir grabbed a season-high nine rebounds, as Notre Dame outrebounded Concord 48-39.
 
"Tamia had a great game today." said Gordon pleasantly, "I tell her all the time that she can be one of the best post players in this league, and tonight she played like it!"
 
It was a gritty bounce-back win for the Falcons who suffered their first Mountain East Conference loss to No. 9 Glenville State on Wednesday. Notre Dame College will be back in action on Wednesday Dec. 8 for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against the visiting Davis & Elkins College inside Murphy Gymnasium. The NDC men's basketball team will host the D&E Senators in a basketball double-header upon the conclusion of the women's basketball game.