SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame College head coach Mark Richmond said after the game that the Falcons' defense in the first half set the tone for the game as NDC allowed just 18 points on eight made shots in the first 20 minutes. The Falcons had a solid Saturday night on the offensive end, as well, in the 91-47 victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College.
 
In the opening four minutes, Notre Dame took a 9-0 lead and senior Jaedon Willis had seven of those points. On the other side, West Virginia Wesleyan missed its first six shots of the game and turned the ball over, twice.
 
The shots continued to fall for NDC as sophomore DeAririus Barker knocked down a three-pointer and Willis pulled up for a mid-range jumper. Barker then stole the ball as the Bobcats attempted to push it past the halfcourt line. He passed it to Willis, who stopped and sunk another three, causing WVWC to take a timeout with the Falcons leading by 12 (17-5) with 10:51 remaining in the first half.
 
Willis had a short night, playing just 22 minutes, but he scored 19 points and shot the ball at 70-percent (7-for-10) from the floor, making three triples.
 
The Bobcats put together a small run to cut the deficit to seven points, 21-14, but Notre Dame took off again. Junior Darrius Bush blocked a shot, leading to a three by sophomore Kaleb Torrence. Sophomore Obinna Ugwuakazi then stole the ball and sophomore Jamarr Talbert Jr. sank a shot from long range, off an assist from Barker.
 
"I thought our best offense was our defense; we got out in transition and did a nice job sharing it," Richmond said, as NDC totaled 17 assists in the game, the second most this season.
 
A layup by Willis gave Notre Dame its first 20-point lead of the contest, 34-14, with 4:02 to go before halftime. Notre Dame did not let up as Willis and Barker both hit threes before the end of the half. The Falcons went to the locker room leading by 24 points, 42-18.
 
The last time Notre Dame allowed 18 points in a half came against W.Va. Wesleyan on Jan. 28, 2016. On Saturday, the Bobcats shot 28-percent from the field in the first half. NDC went 16-for-35 (46-percent) from the field and had 14 points off turnovers.
 
"I thought we took maybe a few too many threes in the first half against their zone, but we did a better job in the second half attacking and getting the ball inside and making the right play," Richmond mentioned.
 
Almost immediately after the second half began, senior Daylin Lee made a three-point bucket. NDC would score the first seven points of the second half and led 49-18, with 18:28 remaining.
 
The closest West Virginia Wesleyan would get was 26 (54-28), but Notre Dame's offense made sure that did not last long. The Falcons went on an 18-4 run to push their lead to 40 points, 72-32, with 10:08 to go. They continued to grab the rebounds off WVWC missed shots and would push the lead to 46 points, 78-32.
 
NDC shot the ball 17-of-31 (55-percent) from the floor in the second half and hit a 50-percent mark for the game. The Falcons outrebounded WVWC, 47-38. Notre Dame also totaled 27 points off turnovers, 26 fast break points and 42 points in the paint.
 
Sophomore Gbolahan Adio scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high seven boards in 26 minutes of action. Sophomore Andre Harris scored 11 points and stole the ball a season-high three times. Ugwuakazi brought down a career-high eight rebounds. No player was on the floor for more than 26 minutes tonight.
 
"In the last week we've played at Concord and at Davis & Elkins so a lot of guys played a lot of minutes," Richmond said. "Our guys were ready to play at the beginning of the game and we able to get some of those other guys in there."
 
Notre Dame will travel to Buffalo for a matchup with D'Youville College, on Dec. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.