SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – With the help of four players scoring in double-digits, including Tyland Crawford's 27, Notre Dame College was able to get past Alderson Broaddus University, 95-85, on Saturday. NDC is the North Division's third seed in the Mountain East Conference Tournament and will play next Friday.

The Falcons had scored first in all but three games this season, and tonight was more of the same as they were ready to go after tip-off. Sophomore Jordan Burton connected on a shot, freshman John Godinez hit a three pointer and junior Jordan Roland grabbed the offensive rebound and made a layup. That 7-0 run to start the game caused Alderson Broaddus to take a timeout at the 17:54-mark.

Junior Tyland Crawford knocked down a close jumper to push the Falcons lead to nine points, 21-12, with 12:42 on the clock. Crawford scored nine points in the first half and 18 in the second half.
"He's starting to get his legs back under him and that's the guy we need him to be," head coach Mark Richmond said, talking about Crawford. "He can do a little bit of everything. Play inside and out, use his strengths to score close and then make the open perimeter shot. I thought he played really well defensively, he was locked in on that end."

Alderson Broaddus went on their first big run after Crawford's jumper and a 14-5 offensive outburst for ABU tied the game at 26. The Battlers made four 3-pointers during the run.

Notre Dame took a timeout and then scored nine consecutive points to grab a 35-26 lead with 7:51 remaining in the first half. Alderson Broaddus cut their deficit to two points, but the Falcons held a 48-43 lead at the halftime break.

A 7-2 run at the beginning of the second half gave the Falcons a 55-45 advantage, with Burton making a three and Godinez knocked down two shots. Both teams shot the ball well in the second half and the Battlers strung together a few made baskets to tie the game at 73 and then took a 74-73 lead, following a free throw by Dalen Solomon with 6:51 remaining in the game.

After three quick lead changes, Notre Dame put the foot on the gas pedal and after Burton made a driving layup, Crawford went off with back-to-back-to-back made three pointers. In a blink of an eye, NDC was up by 10 points, 86-76. The Falcons would grab the victory by 10 points, as well.

"I was proud of the way our guys closed the game out," Richmond said. "I thought AB played very well, you have to give them a lot of credit. They came in and got 20 assists and shot the ball really well and we still found a way to win. I thought we did a decent job defensively down the stretch, getting stops when we needed to and that was the difference in the game late."

Crawford would finish the game with a season-high in points (27), made field goals (11) and made three pointers (4).

"I was just trying to be aggressive all game and with me being aggressive, it helped in the second half. After getting that dunk, I just kept going," Crawford said. "My teammates and coaches told me not to stop, so I just kept going."

Roland had 19 points and six rebounds while Burton added 18 points and junior Michael Sampson scored 14 points, on 7-of-7 shooting, with eight rebounds. As a team, NDC made a season-high 40 shots. The Falcons also set a season-high with 17 offensive rebounds and a season-low four turnovers. They shot 51-percent from the floor and 50-percent from long range.

"I feel great about our team," Richmond mentioned. "To win four in a row heading into the tournament, you have to feel good about yourself. I like where we are and like our improvement. We have almost a full week to prepare and get rested."

Notre Dame is scheduled to play Glenville State College, the second seed in the South Division, in the quarterfinal round of the MEC Tournament on March 5. The contest will be held at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.