ELKINS, W.Va – Another day, another nail-biter for Notre Dame College (10-11, 9-7 MEC), who traveled to Davis & Elkins College (6-15, 3-13 MEC) on Saturday afternoon to face the Senators. Another strong second half showing for the Falcons allowed NDC to prevail 63-60.
 
The two sides opened up the contest with a frantic pace of play which saw NDC lead 10-7 after an Amil Ali-Shakir three-pointer at the 5:20 mark. D&E would finish off the final 5:20 of the period on a 13-3 run to lead 20-13 after one.
 
The second quarter featured a pair of runs, after the Senators jumped up 28-19, the Falcons answered with a quick 7-0 run to pull within two points (28-26) with 5:37 remaining in the half. However, D&E would polish off the quarter once again, now on a 12-2 run, to lead 40-28 at the break (their largest lead of the game).
 
"The last couple of games we've started off a little slow, but our girls are doing a good job of listening and making adjustments," stated head coach Imani Gordon. "Every practice and every game we are really focusing on defense and I think it is really starting to show."
 
For the third game in a row, Gordon's Falcons stepped up in the second half after making the necessary adjustments. A mere 4:46 into the second half, NDC had opened up a 13-2 run to pull the game within one (42-41). The period would conclude 48-45 Davis & Elkins, but not after Notre Dame won the ten minutes, 17-8.
 
In the fourth quarter, NDC grabbed their first lead (50-48 with 8:15 remaining) since the score was 13-11 in the first. Davis & Elkins would fight to go away, the Senators would begin a quick 10-0 run over the next three minutes to leap back in front 58-50. Staring down the barrel, the Falcons dug deep one last time and played inspired basketball out of the timeout. Notre Dame went on an 11-0 run to make the score 61-58 NDC with two minutes to go. The Falcons would seal the game off 63-60 after a solid defensive stop as time expired.
 
This game now marks the third straight contest where the Falcons generated a 9-0 run or better during the fourth quarter, all over the span of at least four minutes of game time. Each fourth quarter run has been imperative to Gordon and the Falcon's three game win streak over the last six days.
 
 
After the contest, a pleased Gordon said, "We are getting better and meshing at the right time and the plan is to continue to grow on both sides of the ball. We are doing it together and I am proud of the effort and commitment they are giving right now."
 
On offense, Marina Adachi led the Falcons with a team-high 14 points, followed by Lilee Carlson with 13 points and Ali-Shakir with 12 points. Carlson dished out a game-high five assists, as Alana Ellis paced NDC on the boards with eight. Tamia Ridley and Ali-Shakir also contributed on the glass with seven rebounds each.
 
Davis & Elkins won the rebounding battle 41-38, but Theresa Parr's career-high six steals led Notre Dame to dominate the turnover battle 17-11. Moreover, NDC scored 22 points off of turnovers, compared to D&E's 11 points off turnovers, a difference maker in this game.
 
Notre Dame College will be back in action on Wednesday Feb. 9 for a showdown with the Fairmont State Falcons inside Murphy Gymnasium. Wednesday's contest is the annual Pink Out game for women's basketball with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m.