SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Using the momentum from a road win over West Virginia State University last Saturday, Notre Dame College continued shooting the ball well in Wednesday's matchup with Frostburg State University. The Falcons knocked down 14 three-pointers in the game, including nine in the first half, for a 93-76 win over FSU.
 
Notre Dame had a plan to find the open man and shoot the long ball, and they did that right after the opening tipoff. Four of the Falcons' first five shots from the field were 3-pointers and they made three of them. Juniors RJ Ogom and Gbolahan Adio, along with sophomore Devin Haid all knocked down a three. And on all three of those shots, a pass set up the shooter, as junior Andre Harris had two assists and senior Trent Williams had the other. Notre Dame finished the game with 20 assists, which was the fourth most by the team in a game this season.
 
Adio stole the ball from Frostburg State and Notre Dame went back down the court. Harris was fouled on the offensive end and made both free throws to put NDC ahead by six, 11-5. But then, the Bobcats put together their only significant run of the game. Between the 16:12-mark and the 13:39-mark in the first half, FSU went on an 11-3 run, to grab a 16-14 advantage. NDC turned the ball over three times in that span.
 
The Falcons locked back in and responded by scoring 10 unanswered points. To go along with the theme of the night, the three-ball helped jump start the Falcons. Adio sent the ball over to Haid, who sank a triple and was fouled as he came down. He connected on the free throw for the four-point play. On the next possession, Haid sent a pass to junior Joshua Dames for another 3-pointer.
 
Freshman Aidan Filippini dished the ball up to a running Robbie Cass for a layup, with 11:50 to go before halftime. That shot was the only non-three point field goal made by NDC until the 2:58-mark, when Ogom put a layup through the net.
 
The long range bombs continued to fall as Williams and Ogom made their shots. However, FSU stuck around for most of the first half and kept the deficit manageable. A Bobcat jumper with 2:23 on the clock made the score 40-36.
 
In the final 1:33 of the opening stanza, NDC started to create some separation. Off of a missed shot, Dames grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in, along with drawing a foul. After he made the free throw, FSU turned the ball over and Haid went to the basket for a layup. On the following possession, sophomore Jevontae Jones had a step-back three go through the hoop with only 17 seconds left and the Falcons closed the half on an 8-0 run.
 
"We got a few good looks early in the game and I thought it was a key stretch to end the first half, extending that lead," said head coach Mark Richmond. "We did a better job of rebounding in the second half to close things out down the stretch."
 
At halftime, Notre Dame led 48-34, while shooting 13-for-29 (45-percent) from the field and 9-for-14 (64-percent) from long distance. The Falcons also went 13-for-14 at free throw line. In the opening 20 minutes, Ogom totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, Haid added 12 points and Dames put up seven points and five rebounds.
 
NDC's 48 points in the first half is the most by the Falcons in the opening period since Jan. 17, when they scored 50 to open up in Frostburg.
 
The early minutes of the second half was a continuation of the first. Adio knocked down a three, 13 seconds into the half, to put NDC ahead by 17, 51-34. Notre Dame made three of its first five triples attempted in the second half, as they approached the single game program record of 60-percent shooting from three.
 
Just after the clock went under 18 minutes in the second half, Frostburg State tried to claw its way back into the game. The Bobcats went on a 10-3 run, over three-and-a-half minutes, to make the score 61-50, with 14:40 remaining in the contest. They got the ball back, with a chance to cut the deficit to single digits, but Jones came up with a huge block to shift momentum.
 
Notre Dame scored the next 12 points of the game, including two 3-pointers from Haid, who was 5-for-5 from long range at one point. With just under 11 minutes remaining, NDC led by 23 points, 73-50.
 
From that point forward, the Falcons' lead never dipped below 15 points.
 
Haid made six more shots from the field in the second half and had 14 second half points. He totaled 26 for the game. Williams knocked down two threes and had 11 second half points. Ogom finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds. That was his first game with 18 points, or more, since Nov. 21 and his first double-double since the season-opener.
 
Dames had 11 points and tied a season-high with 11 rebounds, while Williams ended the contest with 14 points.
 
As a team, the Falcons ended the contest shooting 46.7-percent from three point range, the second highest percentage in a game this season. The team also hauled in 50 rebounds, which is tied for the second highest amount in a game for NDC this year.
 
"We needed this one," Richmond explained. "For some reason, we've struggled to close out games at home, but tonight was a step in the right direction."
 
Notre Dame will travel to Fairmont State for a Feb. 24 matchup. Tipoff time is scheduled for 4 p.m.