SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Although Notre Dame College trailed for most of the contest, the Falcons stuck around and made a late push to tie Glenville State College, forcing overtime. NDC would take the lead and expand that lead in the second overtime period to win, 104-94, on Saturday evening. Junior Michael Sampson broke the program record with eight steals and NDC set a conference record for most overtime points.

With 14:19 on the first half clock, Notre Dame led 12-10 after Sampson put a layup in the basket. The Pioneers would strike back as John Williams and Matthew Allman both knocked down three pointers to give GSC a 16-12 advantage.

Glenville State led for the rest of the half, but NDC did not go away. With 38-second left before halftime, junior Daylin Lee knocked down a three, with an assist by junior Jaedon Willis. GSC led by seven points, 40-33, going into the locker room.

"The message at halftime was to continue playing with confidence," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We've had a couple games where we didn't shoot the ball well and that continued into tonight's first half. Our guys stayed with it, I thought we played better, shared the ball."

At the half, Willis and junior Tyland Crawford had combined for just eight points and the Falcons connected on one three pointer, as a team.

In the first five minutes of the second stanza, NDC made a couple runs and closed within four points. But, GSC seemed to have an answer every time. A 6-0 run by the Pioneers, in less than 20 seconds, put them ahead 54-42 at the 12:35-mark.

"In the second half, we started well and then hit a little bit of a lull," Willis said. "We fell down by [double-digits] and I knew it was time to get locked in and give it everything I had to help my team win. I thought everyone who played, really contributed. That's who we are, we don't quit, we play to the end."

Willis scored 15 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Crawford scored eight points in the second half, going 8-for-8 at the free throw line.

The Pioneer led by eight points with less than five minutes to go in regulation. Willis got to the free throw line down the stretch and brought NDC within three points, twice. With less than two minutes left, Crawford stole the ball and was fouled. He sank a pair of free throws to pull Notre Dame within one (68-67).

With 11 seconds left, Sampson stole the ball and found Willis who nailed a clutch three pointer to make the score 71-70, in favor of Glenville State. For the second time in four seconds, the Pioneers turned the ball over. NDC missed a layup for the win, but Sampson saved the day with a quick offensive board. He was fouled and split a pair of free throws to tie the contest at 71.

Glenville State led for all but five seconds of the second half.

In the first overtime, Notre Dame led by five points (83-78) with 1:53 to go. But, Glenville State made a layup and then forced a turnover, which led to a long-range jumper to knot the game up at 83.

Neither team could score in the final 1:14 of overtime.

Over the course of the two overtime periods, NDC shot 72-percent. Willis and Crawford combined for 20 points and Sampson had four steals in those 10 minutes.

Glenville State was the team that took the early lead in the second overtime period. The NDC defense stepped up and Sampson stole the ball and dunked it on the other end. With 3:22 left, Glenville State led by one point, 89-88.

The Sampson dunk was the start of a 10-0 NDC run. The Falcons knocked down 12 free throws throughout the second overtime.

Sampson finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and eight steals. His eight steals are not only a program record, but is also the second highest mark in Mountain East Conference history.

Willis led the team with 30 points, the second time that he has scored at least 30 points against Glenville State this season. Crawford totaled 21 points, going 15-for-16 at the free throw line.

The Falcons knocked down 37 free throws, which is a program record. They also stole the ball 17 times, which is tied for third in program history. And the Falcons' 33 points in overtime is an MEC record.

"An exciting win for us, our guys just stuck with it," Richmond said. "We didn't play perfect by any means but found a way to get over the hump. We stuck around through most of regulation and then the overtimes could have gone either way."

The Falcons stay home and play West Virginia Wesleyan College on Feb. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.