Scots fight off Falcons
Ranked Wooster wins tourney, 87-71
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WOOSTER, Ohio – Notre Dame lost to the College of Wooster Saturday in the championship game of the "Mose" Hole Tournament by a final score of 87-71. NDC fought the No. 23 (D3hoops.com) Wooster Fighting Scots hard throughout the first half before a Wooster run undid the Falcons.

Senior point guard Jerome Pierce (Toledo, OH) and junior guard Kyle Miller (Piketon, OH) each poured in 20 points in the Notre Dame (5-10) loss. Both were named to the "Mose" Hole All-Tournament Team for their performance Friday and Saturday. NDC finished as runners-up in the event which was hosted by Wooster.

Pierce and Miller keyed an early Falcon lead in Saturday's game; when Pierce knocked down a trey at 7:57, the Falcons held a 20-15 lead on the Timken Gymnasium scoreboard. From that point on in the first frame, however, the Fighting Scots showed why they came into the game with an 8-2 mark, a national ranking, and one of the top offenses in NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)-Division III. Over the next seven minutes and 57 seconds, Wooster dominated, going on a 25-5 run.

Junior point guard Brandon Johnson (Columbus, OH) and senior guard James Cooper (Springfield, OH) each knocked down three treys in the first, as the Fighting Scots took control of the game. By halftime, Wooster had a 40-25 lead. In the final eight minutes of the first, the Falcons went 1-of-7 from the floor and committed nine turnovers.

The Fighting Scots maintained a 20-point advantage throughout much of the second stanza. NDC made a move in the middle of the period when they went on a six-minute, 19-9 run, to come within eight at the five-minute mark. Wooster answered with a run of their own to finish out the game with the 87-71 final.

NDC shooters showed improvement in the second. Notre Dame shot 29.2 percent (7-for-24) in the first half, 53.3 percent (16-for-30) in the second. For the game, NDC shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54). Wooster shot 48.3 percent (29-for-60). The Fighting Scots connected on nine 3-pointers in 22 attempts (40.9 percent); on the season, Wooster ranks fourth in the nation (NCAA-III as of Dec. 16) in 3-point accuracy (47.1 percent).

Johnson led the Scots with a career-high 26 points. He hit six 3-pointers in nine attempts en route to earning all-tournament MVP honors.

"Wooster is a very solid team," said NDC Head Coach Kevin Bille. "They can score with anybody, and we knew this would be a test for our guys. I do like the way we battled, though. We played them toe-to-toe in the first, and then we made some adjustments in a nice second-half run. Those we good signs for us; we've tried to put some new wrinkles in our game over holiday practice."

For the Falcons, Pierce added six assists and five rebounds to his 20 points. Sophomore center Karim McFarlane (Portmore, Jamaica) scored 10 and notched a team-high six rebounds. McFarlane also blocked three shots. Freshman guard Eric Maag (Columbus Grove, OH) knocked down three baskets from beyond the arc to score nine points off the NDC bench.

The win in the "Mose" Hole Tournament championship game was the seventh straight victory this season for the Scots. Wooster advanced to the finale in their home court tournament with a win Friday over Wesley College (DE), 94-61. NDC advanced with a 76-53 win over Mt. Union.

The Falcons' next game is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 3, when the team visits Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla.