GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Shooting nearly 55-percent from the field, along with making eight 3-pointers in the second half, is usually a recipe for a success. On Saturday, that is exactly what Notre Dame College needed in a game that featured 23 lead changes and 14 ties. The Falcons won on the road, defeating Glenville State University by a score of 97-93.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end. NDC missed its first four shots, while Glenville State was off target on its first five shots from the field.
 
After a couple early turnovers, the Falcons began to step up their own defensive intensity. With 16 minutes to go in the first half, trailing 5-2, senior Jaedon Willis stole the ball, leading to a transition layup by senior Daylin Lee.
 
The two teams began to trade buckets, a trend that would last the entire game. Between the 13:55-mark and the 11:59-mark the score was tied four times. The Falcons took their first lead when Willis drove to the basket, put the ball high off the glass and made the shot as he was hit. He knocked down the free throw and NDC led 14-13.
 
A steal by sophomore Jevontae Jones, with about 10 minutes to go, led to a jumper by Willis, giving Notre Dame an 18-15 lead. The Falcons would push the lead to four points, 24-20, the largest of the first half, when sophomore Obinna Ugwuakazi went to the basket and made a layup with 8:09 on the clock.
 
NDC still led 34-31, with four minutes left before halftime, but Glenville State put together a run of its own. Jordan Smith went down the floor and connected on a three to tie the game. NDC missed a shot and Smith was on the move again, hitting a basket and going to the free throw line for a three-point play.
 
The Pioneers put together a 9-2 run before halftime to grab a 40-38 lead. Despite falling behind after 20 minutes of play, NDC was still shooting 52-percent (15-for-29) from the field. The difference was the long range shot, as Glenville State made six more threes than Notre Dame.
 
In the first half, the Falcons' backcourt of Willis and sophomore DeAirius Barker combined for 20 points and five steals.
 
After a relatively tame first half, the two offenses began to take off. Entering this weekend, both of these teams were ranked in the top five in the conference in offensive output per game. They would combine for 112 points in the second half.
 
Notre Dame started the second half on an 8-3 run, as sophomore Jamarr Talbert Jr. knocked down back-to-back threes. Barker put down another triple to give NDC a 49-45 advantage, before GSU answered back with a 5-0 run to take the lead.

Barker had 10 points and four assists in the final 20 minutes and finished the game with 19 points, on 60-percent shooting. He has now reached double-digit scoring in the last six games, the longest streak of his career.
 
Notre Dame fell behind by four until sophomore Kaleb Torrence came off the bench and knocked down a mid-ranger and a three-pointer. Barker would hit a three and then Crawford followed a missed shot with an offensive board and layup. That 10-2 run gave NDC a 63-59 lead, with 10:46 to go in the game.
 
The matchup remained close and between the 7:54-mark and the 5:13-mark, the teams traded the lead eight times. The second half featured a total of 15 lead changes and six ties.
 
After the game was tied at 78, with three minutes to go, Notre Dame went on an 8-3 run. Willis knocked down a three, Crawford found a cutting Lee for a dunk and then Lee connected on a three-pointer of his own to give the Falcons an 86-81 lead.
 
Daylin Lee continued to make an impact for the Falcons. With 1:08 remaining, he made a layup, was fouled and made the free throw. After re-entering the game with 3:32 on the clock, he would score all 10 of his second half points.
 
NDC led by seven points, with 41 seconds to go, but Glenville State had one more run in them. After GSU made three free throws, an NDC turnover led to a Pioneer layup and the Falcon lead was diminished to two points.
 
Willis took the ball and went four-for-four at the free throw line in the final 30 seconds before Barker put down two more.
 
In the second half, Willis made all six of his free throws, shot 67-percent from the field and went 2-for-2 from behind the three-point line for 20 points. He had 31 in the game, just two off of his season-high.
 
Notre Dame scored 59 points in the second half, on Saturday, which is their highest scoring half since the team put up 61 in the second half against Bryant & Stratton College, on Nov. 16. The Falcons shot 57-percent from the field in the second half and made eight 3-pointers. They held Glenville State to just two 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
 
At the free throw line, Notre Dame shot 94.7-percent (18-for-19), the best this season and third highest percentage in program history. The team's 54.7-percent shooting night from the floor is the second highest this season.

With the win, Notre Dame sweeps the season-series with Glenville State and they move past the Pioneers for fifth place in the Mountain East Conference standings.
 
The Falcons have a quick turnaround as they host Penn State Fayette, on Jan. 30, with a tipoff time of 6 p.m.