SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The top team in the country, Glenville State College (18-0, 13-0 MEC) came to town to face the Notre Dame College women's basketball team (7-11, 6-7 MEC) inside Murphy Gymnasium. Saturday afternoon marked the first time that NDC has squared off against the No. 1 team in the nation since Nov. 14, 2017 against Ashland. On this occasion, the Pioneers beat the Falcons 90-48, but not after a strong and valiant first half from Notre Dame.
Right out the gate, the gameplay was frantic and up-tempo as NDC netted their first three field goals of the game and shot an efficient 6-12 from the floor during the first period. However, GSC held a 23-13 advantage after the first ten minutes as the up-tempo pace favored the Pioneers who shot 10-27 from the field.
In the second quarter, the two sides exchanged haymakers throughout the period by trading buckets during the continued fast paced game. Notre Dame again played efficiently on offense by shooting 6-12 from the floor during the period. However, Glenville State grabbed the quarter 17-16 after Re'Shawna Stone's layup at the halftime buzzer, to hold a 40-29 lead at the break.
After the break, NDC's
Lilee Carlson grabbed the first basket of the half to pull within single digits once more. GSC would respond with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to open up a 52-31 lead at the 5:44 mark. The Pioneers would win the quarter 21-8 and hold a 61-37 lead with ten minutes to play.
Glenville State held onto the lead in the fourth quarter, winning 90-48.
Leading the way for Notre Dame was Carlson's team-high 15 points, along with 11 from
Amil Ali-Shakir.
Tamia Ridley claimed a game-high 11 rebounds as
Marina Adachi dished out a season-high three assists.
In looking at the rebounding and turnover battles, GSC claimed both, 46-28 on the boards and 25-11 in the turnover department.
Notre Dame College will bounce back in action on Monday Jan. 31 when they travel to Fairmont State University at 6:00 p.m. to play a contest that was previously scheduled for Jan. 5.
