SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame College was led by junior Jaedon Willis, who made five three-pointers and totaled 25 points, but Lourdes University shot 60-percent from the field and won by a score of 81-71, on Monday evening.

"When we scheduled this game, we knew it was going to be a tough test that would present a unique style," said head coach Mark Richmond.

Willis knocked down a three pointer for Notre Dame to pull NDC within one point of Lourdes, 10-9, with 15:47 on the clock. One minute later, junior Daylin Lee knocked down a three to tie the contest at 12.

Lourdes missed their first shot attempt, but then made their next eight shots from the field. The Gray Wolves would pull ahead, 19-12, with a 7-0 run that ended at the 13:20 mark.

Notre Dame took a timeout to regroup. The three ball and solid defense put NDC back into the lead.

Freshman John Godinez found Willis, who knocked down a three-point basket. Godinez then hit a three of his own, using a nice pass from junior Michael Kirkland. Kirkland blocked a shot and Willis stole the ball, allowing DeAirius Barker to put two points on the scoreboard. With 10:31 to go, NDC capped their 11-2 run, and took a 23-21 lead, when Willis knocked down another shot from long range. Every shot during that run had an assist.

NDC and Lourdes went back-and-forth and tied the game twice over the next minute and-a-half. Notre Dame trailed by one point (30-29) with just under seven minutes to go in the half, but Lourdes pushed the pace and got the ball into the paint. The Falcons missed three shots in a row and LU put together a 10-0 run over two minutes. Back-to-back layups and back-to-back three pointers put the Gray Wolves in front, 40-29.

Lourdes would end the first half shooting 65-percent (17-for-26) in the first half.

However, LU finally went cold from the field, missing their final three shots and turned the ball over twice. The Falcons made three shots in the final 3:19 of the first half. A Willis steal led to a three pointer by junior Tyland Crawford. Junior Michael Sampson scored and then Godinez hit a three pointer, following an offensive rebound by Lee. The Falcons were behind by just three points at halftime (42-39).

"Once [Lourdes] is making shots, they're hard to slow down," Richmond said. "We got some steals and were able to get out in transition a little bit, but I thought, with [Lourdes] scoring so many close to the basket, they controlled the game."

The Gray Wolves had 24 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. They would finish the game with 50 total points in the paint.

A layup by McRay White less than three minutes into the second half put Lourdes up by nine points, 50-41. White would finish with 17 points and shot 7-for-7 from the field.

The closest the Falcons could get the rest of the way would be six points.

"We let them throw it in the post, continuously," Richmond mentioned. "We couldn't get stops when we needed them."

Willis had 25 points, on 53-percent shooting, and stole the ball four times. He also made all four of his free throws. Sampson accumulated 11 points, five rebounds and a season-high four steals. Lee added 10 points and Godinez had a career-high seven assists.

The Falcons will host Davis & Elkins College on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.