SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – In-between two road trips to West Virginia, Notre Dame College stopped home for a non-conference matchup, on Monday night. The Falcons took care of business, totaling the third highest point total in program history and breaking the program record with 35 assists in a 116-60 victory over Penn State Fayette.
 
"I challenged our team to lock in after an emotional win at Glenville State and then the quick turnaround here and a game on Wednesday, on the road, against West Virginia Wesleyan," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We're getting ready for the conference tournament in a month. In those tournament situations, there are quick turnarounds, which are usually more mental than physical."
 
The Falcons put up some impressive numbers on the night. Along with the point and assist totals, the number of made three-point baskets (16) set a season-high and was the fifth highest total in program history. The team also moved into seventh place in program history with 44 made field goals and set a season-high in field goal percentage, at 57.9-percent. Individually, sophomore Jamarr Talbert Jr. knocked down eight 3-pointers, which is tied for second in program history.
 
Talbert was cooking early on in the game, knocking down his first three-pointer less than 20 seconds into the contest. He would make five 3-pointers in the first half and went into halftime with 15 points.
 
"It gets my team going," Talbert said. "Once they see one go in, it's a spark to let the team know I'm ready to play."
 
Penn State Fayette connected on their first four shots of the game, with Torian Jenkins knocking down a couple shots. At the 17:36-mark in the first half, PSU-F led, 8-3.
 
After three missed shots and a turnover, Notre Dame started to hit the three-ball again. Senior Jaedon Willis and graduate student Tyland Crawford moved the momentum swing back toward NDC by hitting shots from long range on back-to-back possessions. The Falcons took a four-point lead, 13-9, but then went cold from the floor and Penn State Fayette started working back into the game.
 
The Nittany Lions went on a 6-2 run and tied the game up at 15, at the 10:47-mark. Neither team scored for over two minutes before the Falcons offense came to life. Talbert made a three and then sophomore Kaleb Torrence stole the ball and was fouled on his way to the hoop. He made both free throws.
 
Talbert stayed hot and hit back-to-back threes as the Falcons went on an 11-0 run and led 26-15, less than four minutes after Penn State Fayette tied the game.
 
Between the 6:29-mark and the 5:37-mark, sophomore Obinna Ugwuakazi went on a personal 5-0 run, pushing the NDC lead to 14 points, 31-17.
 
The lead continued to grow and, around the two-minute mark, Torrence and Talbert connected from long range on back-to-back possessions to put NDC ahead by 20 points. By the end of the first half, Notre Dame had put together a 33-11 run, after the game was tied at 15, and led by a score of 48-26.
 
Along with Talbert's 15 first half points, Crawford also added 11 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
The Falcons continued to pour it on in the second half, with 12 difference players scoring for NDC. With 11 minutes to go in the game, Notre Dame started a 10-0 run, which included three made free throws. Torrence capped the run with a three-pointer and ran the lead up to 42, 89-47.
 
Torrence scored 15 points in the second half and shot 6-for-8 from the floor. He finished the game with career-highs in points (22), made field goals (8), made threes (4) and assists (6). He also had six rebounds.
 
"I was feeling confident," Torrence mentioned. "When I get out there I try to play the right way and get my teammates involved and when I'm open, I'm going to let it fly."
 
Talbert hit his final three of the game at the 6:11-mark and finished with nine points in the second half, on three 3-pointers. All of his career-high 24 points were scored from long distance.
 
As a team, NDC shot 68-percent from the field in the second stanza and 50-percent form three-point range. The Falcons finished the game with a total of 50 points in the paint and 54 bench points.
 
Notre Dame outrebounded PSU-F 49-25 in the game and 28-6 in the second half. The Falcons totaled seven more offensive boards throughout the contest, resulting in 16 more second chance points.

"I thought we got off to a slow start, but after the game settled in, we did a good job sharing the ball and did a good job on the glass in the second half," Richmond said.
 
Willis had a season-high seven assists and sophomore Gbolahan Adio totaled a career-high seven assists. Sophomore Isaiah Sanders brought down a career-high nine rebounds, while Crawford finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
 
Notre Dame will take on West Virginia Wesleyan College, on Feb. 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.