WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – In the final 8:16 of the first half, Notre Dame College went on a 31-14 run against No. 5 ranked West Liberty University, to tie the game at 52 as the teams went to their locker rooms. Although Jaedon Willis scored 20 second half points for NDC, West Liberty would finish the job with a 107-83 win.
 
The strategy for the Falcons, early in the game, was clear as they quickly pushed the ball down the floor after grabbing rebounds on the defensive side. In the first three minutes of the game, Notre Dame made four of their first five shots taken. The Falcons trailed WLU by one point, 10-9, at the 17-minute mark.
 
West Liberty turned the tables by getting down the floor quickly and making shots. The Hilltoppers went on a 15-4 run and led 25-13, with 14:25 to go in the first half.
 
About six minutes later, Notre Dame had fallen down by as many as 17 points, 38-21, but the Falcons began to claw their way back into the game. NDC scored the next nine points as they stopped West Liberty on the defensive end and sprinted down to the other side of the floor. Sophomore Kaleb Torrence connected on a jumper and, after West Liberty missed a couple shots and sophomore Jamarr Talbert Jr. blocked a shot, sophomore Andre Harris slammed the ball down at the other end.
 
Harris continued making a difference as Notre Dame grabbed momentum. After a WLU turnover, he made a layup and then grabbed a rebound after a Hilltopper miss. He would turn that rebound into points with another layup. With 6:02 on the clock, NDC was down by just eight points, 38-30.
 
Harris led the team with 11 points at the end of the first half. He would finish the game with season-highs in points (13), rebounds (7) and assists (6).
 
Notre Dame fell down by 10 points, again, but took advantage of another West Liberty offensive drought and turnovers. In less than a minute of game time, the Falcons exploded for a 12-0 run to take a one point lead, 48-47. Six of the 12 points during the run were fast break points.
 
Sophomore Gbolahan Adio was getting down the court quickly and made life difficult for the Hilltoppers, as they tried to stop him. He dunked the ball on a fast break, got fouled as he went to the basket and made two free throws to give NDC the lead. After West Liberty finally found the basket, Adio ran down the court behind the West Liberty defense and finished a fastbreak to put the Falcons back in front.
 
At halftime, Notre Dame and West Liberty were tied at 52. The Falcons had only scored over 50 points in one other half this season, prior to Tuesday. NDC was shooting 59-percent from the field, with 28 points in the paint, while West Liberty was sitting at 42-percent shooting.
 
West Liberty exited the locker room ready to shoot the ball. The Hilltoppers scored the first eight points of the second stanza. Less than two minutes into the second half, WLU led 60-52.
 
The Falcons fought right back as Willis used a fancy move to get around a defender and scored on a layup. WLU's Christian Montague missed two free throws and on the other end, Harris grabbed his own miss and put it back in to draw the Falcons within four, 62-58. But that would be as close as NDC could get.
 
Around the 11-minute mark in the second half, West Liberty began to stretch the lead. A three-pointer by Ben Sarson put the Hilltoppers up 78-64.
 
Notre Dame put together one last run, outscoring the Hilltoppers 10-3 over two minutes and trailed by 12 points, 90-78, with 6:08 to go.
 
After scoring just six points in the first half, Willis went off for 20 second half points. He made seven shots in the final 20 minutes. For the third consecutive game, sophomore DeAirius Barker had double-digit points (10).
 
Notre Dame has a break over Thanksgiving and gets back to the court on Nov. 30, in a home matchup with Glenville State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.