ELKINS, W.Va. – After one half of the play, Notre Dame College had scored 44 points, led by as many as 20 points and was shooting 52-percent from the field. Although Davis & Elkins College made a strong push in the second half, the Falcons held on for an 82-76 victory, on Saturday.

NDC was all over the floor early in the contest, making shots and hustling on the defensive end. They had three steals in the first three minutes of the game and went on a 13-2 run in the first five minutes, forcing D&E to take a timeout.

The Falcons continued to knock down shots, and the three-ball started falling, as well. Between the 13:44-mark and the 11:33-mark in the first half, NDC made three of the four three pointers that the team attempted.

After junior Tyland Crawford knocked down two free throws with 10:11 remaining before halftime, he had already totaled 13 points and was shooting 80-percent from the field. As a team, the Falcons had made 11 shots and were shooing the ball at 65-percent and led 28-10.

NDC maintained distance on the scoreboard and increased its lead to 20 points (34-14) after freshman Jamarr Talbert Jr. knocked down a shot from long range at the 7:33-mark.

A defensive rebound turned into a running jumper on the other end by freshman Gbolahan Adio to make the score 44-27 at the end of the first half. The Falcons' 44 points were the most that the team had scored in a first half since Jan. 5.

Through 20 minutes, Crawford had 13 points, with three 3-pointers made, and junior Sam Jackson had already scored a season-high 10 points and made a season-high five shots. Jackson would finish the contest with 14 points.

The Senators made adjustments in the second half and started shooting the ball much better. After going 0-for-7 from three-point range in the first stanza, they connected on six in the final 20 minutes. They also shot 53-percent in the second half.

D&E cut the NDC lead down to 13 (47-34) after making their first three shots of the half. But, the Falcons went on another run, which included four points by Jackson. With 16:05 on the clock, Notre Dame's lead was back up to 19 points (53-34).

A 9-0 run by Davis & Elkins pulled them within eight points, 58-50, with 11:15 to go. The Senators did not go away and with just under six minutes to play, Sam Rolle IV dunked the ball to close within five points, 71-66.

Notre Dame received a much needed offensive boost, once again, from Crawford. Right after coming out of a timeout, he scored a layup and, after Rolle split a pair of free throws, Crawford knocked down a three. At the 5:08-mark, NDC led 76-67.

Crawford connected on three additional 3-pointers in the second half and had 13 points. He finished the game with season-highs in points (26), field goals made (9) and three pointers made (6).

With just 41-seconds left, a Davis & Elkins three pointer made the score 78-74.

The Falcons' needed to make their free throws to close out the game and junior Jaedon Willis stepped up. Although Willis scored just 10 points in the game, he went 4-for-4 at the free throw stripe in the final minute.

Head coach Mark Richmond was happy to see the contributions from the team in the road victory, as 10 players scored at least two points.

"I was proud of our effort today at D&E," he said. "We got off to a great start and finished the first half strong. We relaxed a little bit in the second half and they made a run at us but we were able to close it out. Overall, I thought every guy contributed and it's always good to get a road win."

Notre Dame ended the game shooting 46-percent from the field (30-for-65) and 50-percent from beyond three-point arc (14-for-28).

The Falcons will come home to play No. 12 Fairmont State on Feb. 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.