SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame College had five players score in double-digits and the defense held No. 23 West Liberty University to 42-percent shooting, but the Hilltoppers were able to close out the game with some late free throws and win, 89-84.

Will Yoakum put West Liberty up by six, as he opened the game with two layups and a jumper. The Falcons fought back with two three-pointers by sophomore Jordan Burton and a layup by junior Michael Sampson, which tied the game at eight, just over three minutes into the contest.

The Falcons took their first lead of the game at the 16:03-mark, after junior Jordan Roland knocked down one free throw.

Junior Mohamed Alkadi entered the game two minutes later, with the game tied at 11, and made an immediate impact. He grabbed an offensive rebound and followed it up with a layup. On defense, he grabbed a rebound and made a three in the corner on the offensive end. And then finished a driving layup the next time down the floor. That stretch of points gave the Falcons an 18-13 lead.

Along with making his first three-pointer of the season, Alkadi would finish the game with a season-high 16 points, nine rebounds and seven made shots.

"Mohamed's got great length, so he can kind of change some shots," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We've been trying to find a situation where he could help us, because he is a very skilled kid, who can shoot the basketball."

West Liberty then struck back with a 15-0 run over about four minutes. Over that run, West Liberty only made one three, but they got the ball inside for two layups and converted after a steal and an offensive rebound. With 6:04 to go before halftime, WLU led by a score of 34-25.

NDC pulled within one after junior Marquise Johnson, who was another big contributor off the bench, knocked down four consecutive shots for the Falcons. Down by eight, Johnson scored a layup, jumper, layup and was fouled as he made his final layup of the run. He knocked down the free throw and Notre Dame trailed by one, 40-39, with 3:14 remaining. Johnson ended the game with a season-high 10 points.

"Marquise is talented, especially in those three-on-two, two-on-one situations where he can get downhill and drive to the basket," Richmond mentioned. "He did a nice job converting some of those plays."

West Liberty led, 46-43, at the end of the first half. In the first stanza, West Liberty shot 44-percent from the field, and just 31-percent from three. NDC shot 50-percent from the field and from three-point range. Both teams attempted 36 field goals in the half, but WLU took 10 more free throws.

The Falcons came out of the locker room red hot, making their first three shot attempts and also knocking down two free throws. The Hilltoppers, who missed their first three shots of the half, were forced to take a timeout.

Trailing 52-46, WLU scored the next nine points and led by three, with 14:43 to go in the game.

Junior Tyland Crawford knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 61, before Roland stole the ball and threw a pass directly over the shoulder of Sampson, who then dunked the ball to give the Falcons the lead. Sampson made all five of the shots he took in the game and finished with another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

"[Sampson] is definitely efficient and he plays with great energy and has a great motor," Richmond said. "I thought we rebounded the ball pretty well as a team today, with him getting 11, Mohamed came in and got nine for us, Tyland with six."

The teams then traded the lead seven times over the final 10 minutes of the game. Notre Dame led by four points, 77-73, with just 4:36 on the clock. The Falcons would get the ball back after an offensive foul, but West Liberty stole the ball and Malik McKinney made a layup. On the next WLU possession, Pat Robinson hit a shot and was fouled. He made the free throw to grab the lead back.

"We were trying to keep them in front of us, just trying to make them take contested shots," Richmond said. "We gave up 44 points in the paint, that's a little too many. When everyone thinks West Liberty, they think threes, but points in the paint and second chance points is where they make their money."

The Falcons led by two, as late as the 1:43-mark in the second half, but Robinson helped WLU get over the top by making two late shots and hitting a free throw.

"We've definitely improved," Richmond explained. "We just have to continue to be consistent. I think the most important thing we need to learn is, how to win in crunch time. It's a situation we've been in a couple times, but we have to learn to go win the game. I think we'll get there, it's just an experience thing. I think down the road, this game will help us, but it is disappointing to play that well and come up short at the end."

Burton led the way with 21 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, and connected on all six free throws. Crawford scored 14 points with six rebounds, off the bench. NDC shot 48-percent from the field and 47-percent from three. The defense was active all night and held West Liberty to 42-percent shooting and 22-percent from long range.

The Falcons will travel to play Fairmont State University on Feb. 17. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.