SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – "It's hard work that has been paying off," head coach Mark Richmond said after the game, regarding the Notre Dame College defense that held Concord University to 24 points and 22-percent shooting in the second half, on the way to a 71-56 victory.

Notre Dame jumped out to a 7-0 lead, after junior Michael Sampson knocked down a jumper and then freshman John Godinez hit a three-pointer and a layup. Concord scored their first points at the 16:19-mark in the first half after missing their first four field goals and two free throws.

Sampson scored with 14:49 to go in the first half to push NDC's lead back to seven points, 11-4. But the Mountain Lions put together a comeback. A 7-0 run over three minutes by CU would tie the game at 11.

"We didn't play particularly well in the first half, other than the first three or four minutes," Richmond said. "We got up to a big lead and relaxed a little. We just have to learn from that. We go through stretches where we play really well and then stop doing what got us there. As we get more experience, that will continue to change."

Concord took their first lead at the 11:08-mark after Malik Johnson knocked down a three and made the score 14-12. Notre Dame would tie the score once, but could not take the lead for the remainder of the half.

The Falcons did close the first half strong, however. Down by eight, with just under two minutes remaining, junior Jordan Roland hit a three and then Sampson stole the ball on back-to-back possessions, leading to two dunks. He had five steals at halftime.

"Just trying to stay aggressive," Sampson said. "Coach preaches defense and rebounds, so I just tried to attack the glass and finish. On the defensive end, I try to use my abilities to try and get my hands on some balls."

"We've been talking about those middle four minutes," Richmond said. "Last two minutes of the first half, first couple of the second half."

Using the momentum from the end of the first stanza, NDC scored the first six points of the second half to take a 37-32 advantage.

Concord would regain the lead with 10:45 to go in the game, going up 44-43 following a layup by Mohamed Bundu. About one minute later, the two teams traded the lead before Jordan Roland and Jordan Burton took control.

Sophomore Jordan Burton gave the Falcons the lead, 46-45, hitting a three with 9:31 on the clock. Roland hit two free throws and then a layup on the next possession. The next three shots that Burton took were from long range and he sank all three.

A 16-6 run by Notre Dame put the Falcons ahead by eight points, 59-51, at the 4:25-mark in the second half.

NDC extended their lead to double-digits later in the half and cruised to victory.

"Overall, I was really proud of how hard we played," Richmond said. "We made some mistakes, but to hold a team to 24 points in the second half, it's hard work that's been paying off. Our man-to-man, five-on-five defense, down the stretch was the difference in the game."

Sampson had his third double-double of the season, recording 14 points, on 7-of-9 shooting, 13 rebounds and six steals.

"First, I have to thank God," Sampson said. "I have a knack for [getting rebounds], but I feel like without him, I wouldn't be able to do it. But, I'm just trying to get in the right position to make the play, get the ball so that we can push and get extra possessions."

Roland led all scorers with 21 points and Burton added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Notre Dame took advantage of Concord's 14 turnovers, scoring 18 points off of them. The Falcons also accumulated a season-high 16 assists, as a team, to just six by the Mountain Lions.

"We thought we could move the ball," Richmond added. "[Concord] is really solid defensively, we needed to pass it and move the ball. We tried to explain to [the players] that, if you beat your guy, it's not always going to be you who makes the play, it's making the play for someone else. I think that shows with the 16 assists and eight turnovers. We made that extra pass."

Concord's defense was only allowing teams to shoot 42-percent from the field and 29-percent from three, on average. NDC shot 54-percent in the second half and 44-percent for the game. The Falcons shot 35-percent from three-point range.

NDC is scheduled to play Davis & Elkins College on Feb. 8, at 5 p.m.