SOTUH EUCLID, Ohio – Today was senior day inside Murphy Gymnasium, as Notre Dame College (14-13, 13-9 MEC) hosted Alderson Broaddus University (13-14, 10-12 MEC). Seniors Jada Marone (#4), Theresa Parr (#14) and Tamia Ridley (#34) were honored at half court prior to the contest. On Saturday afternoon in front of a large and rowdy home crowd, NDC took care of business 80-66. Ridley brought down a game-high 15 rebounds during the contest, to total her 313^th board of the season, setting the new NDC single season record for rebounds. The record was originally set by All-American Joni DePiore during the 1996-97 season at 302.
 
After trailing 6-2 to begin the contest, Notre Dame would rattle off a 14-6 run to grab a 17-12 lead with 2:34 left in the first. After the score was knotted at 17-17 with 1:53 remaining, NDC would finish the quarter on a quick 7-0 run, all of which were in transition, concluding with a Lilee Carlson layup at the buzzer. The Falcons claimed the first quarter 24-17.
 
During the second quarter, Notre Dame would slowly swell their lead to double digits (34-24) with 3:10 left in the half. But Alderson Broaddus would claw their way back into the contest with a 7-0 run to end the period. NDC would lead 34-31at the break, after AB won the period 14-10.
 
The two sides would begin the second half by exchanging baskets to a 42-40 NDC lead with 5:25 left in the third. The Falcons generated a 13-5 run over the next four minutes to regain a double-digit advantage (55-45). The quarter would conclude with Notre Dame on top 57-50.
 
Alderson Broaddus opened the final period with five quick points within the first minute, immediately trimming Notre Dame's lead to just two. Marone would net four straight points for NDC with under six to play, to restore a 67-59 Falcon advantage. Notre Dame would hold their lead at two possessions or more for the remainder of the contest, and would net several clutch free throws to ensure an 80-66 win on senior day.
 
"Today was a team effort! Everyone wanted to win for our seniors," exclaimed head coach Imani Gordon. "These seniors have done so much for this program. This senior class is so special."
 
Notre Dame's offense was led by Alana Ellis' game-high 23 points, followed by Marone's 21 and Ridley's 13. Ridley and Carlson handled the playmaking duties posting a team-high three assists each. Moreover, and as aforementioned, Ridley hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds which tallies her 11^th double-double of the season and her ninth game with at least 15 rebounds. The senior forward is now responsible for 313 rebounds this season, which rewrites the NDC record book after Joni DePiore held the top mark for 25 seasons.
 
In comparing the two sides, NDC shot 28-73 (38.4%) from the field and 4-16 (25.0%) from three. AB converted 21-53 (39.6%) from the floor and 7-20 (35.0%) from deep. The Battlers won the rebounding game 48-38, but the Falcons made their mark in the turnover department. NDC forced AB into 26 team turnovers, compared to their own 10 as Marina Adachi contributed a career-high six steals. In addition, Notre Dame posted better numbers in terms of points in the paint (44-22), points off turnovers (25-10), second chance points (15-8), fast break points (20-8) and bench points (28-17).
 
When asked about the senior class, Gordon answered by saying, "They bring so much to our team on and off the floor. They are going to help us in this run for the conference championship and we won't be able to do it without them. They played hard today and I'm so proud of them."
 
Notre Dame College will look forward to the Mountain East Conference tournament, set to commence on Mar. 2 inside Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling, WV. NDC finished the regular season seated fifth in the MEC and will play the fourth seeded Concord University Mountain Lions (20-10, 13-9 MEC) on Thursday Mar. 3 during the Quarterfinal Round. The winning team will advance into the semifinals to face the winner of #1 Glenville State vs. #8 Alderson Broaddus/#9 Wheeling. Tip-off between the Falcons and Mountain Lion is slated for 8:15 p.m.