Falcons can't in Canton
Malone halts program-best win streak
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CANTON, Ohio – Notre Dame Men's Basketball had a winning streak going into their American Mideast Conference (AMC) North Division game against No. 23 Malone College last night. A five-game streak that was seven seasons in the making - the five-game stretch represented the longest such streak in the seven-year history of the program.

On Saturday, that seven-year mark was undone in 40 minutes in a 67-65 loss in Canton. Make that undone in 20 minutes.

Notre Dame (10-12, 3-1) collapsed after building a 35-24 halftime lead on the strength of 57.7 percent (15-for-26) shooting. In the second, NDC would make just eight field goals, allow Malone to get back in the game, and fail to score in the last 3:49.

The loss negated a fine performance from NDC's all-time leading scorer, Jerome Pierce (Sr/Toledo, OH), who knocked down seven treys en route to piling up 31 points.

The second half slip knocked the Falcons from their perch atop the North Division standings in the match-up of two contenders. Malone (16-5, 4-1) now sports the top mark in the division in this, their first year after AMC realignment imported them from the South. The Pioneers were ranked No. 23 in the most recent National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Coaches' Poll (Jan. 30).

Malone fell behind in the first, as NDC opened up a 12-5 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Pierce score 16 first half points to pace the Falcons in their second AMC North road game.

In the second, the Falcons' floor leader popped in a quick 10 by the 15:31 mark. The exclamation point was a three-ball at 15:31 to give NDC a 49-37 lead. But the exclamation mark turned into a question mark over the next four minutes of the game; Malone reeled off a 14-5 run to cut the Notre Dame lead to three, 54-51.

The game would remain close. Both fives took turns stealing momentum as the second half wore on. A pair of free throws at 6:19 gave Malone a one-point edge, 57-56. They followed that a minute later with a trey off the fingertips of senior guard Ben Carver (Shelby, OH). Carver would lead Malone in scoring for the game, with 17 points.

Down four, NDC rattled off six straight to take a 62-60 lead at 4:14. A pair of free throws by Malone forward Tyler Renner (Sr/Sugarcreek, OH) tied the game at 62. Then, Pierce answered with his seventh three of the game. That put Notre Dame up 65-62, with 3:49. That would be Pierce's last bucket. Worse news still for the Falcons, it would be their last points of the game.

NDC misfired on each of its final five attempts of the game. They were outscored by the Pioneers, 5-0 in that span, with Pierce missing two in the final eight ticks.

The Falcons final second half line read 8-of-23 (34.8 percent ) from the field with nine turnovers. They were also out-rebounded in the period, 19-10.

NDC shot 46.9 percent (23-for-49) for the game. Other than Pierce, no Falcon managed to post double figures; Karim McFarlane (So/Portmore, Jamaica) scored eight and had a game-high 11 boards. Both he and Keith Bowden (Sr/Akron, OH) fouled out.

The Pioneers shot 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second (44.9 percent, 22-for-49, for the game).

"We played great defense in the first," said NDC Head Coach Kevin Bille. "Our guys showed great effort. In the second half, they out-rebounded us, and we didn't have enough answers offensively."

With the loss, Notre Dame's five game win streak comes to an end. The two-point deficit in Canton represents NDC's first loss since Jan. 3 (66-52 loss at Edward Waters-FL).

Notre Dame's next game is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5, when the Falcons host the Point Park (PA) Pioneers. The opening tip in the AMC tilt is slated for 8:00pm. The game will be aired tape-delay on SportsTime Ohio (STO) at 11:00pm and rebroadcast Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 12:00pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

CLOSE CALL: NDC has now played in four straight games decided by seven points or less. The Falcons went 3-1 in those contests. For the season, NDC is 5-6 in games with a final margin of under 10 points.

MALONE, MALONE!: NDC is now 0-5 all-time against Malone. ... The Pioneer program is on a roll; they've now won four straight and 11 of their last 12. ... NDC, Malone, and Daemen College (NY) are all tangled in the top three spots in the North Division. That sets up for what could be an important meeting in the last week of the regular season when the Falcons and Pioneers square off again. NDC will host Malone on Feb. 19. They then host Daemen in the regular season finale Feb. 23.

THREES ARE WILD: Jerome Pierce has found a groove from 19-feet-9-inches. Pierce is 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) from beyond the arc over his last six games. Pierce, who became the program's all-time leading scorer earlier this season, now has posted nine games this season where he's drained five or more treys. ... Pierce came into the game ranked second in the nation in threes made (4.2 per game). For the season, Pierce is shooting 40.9 percent (95-for-232) on 3-pointers. He's averaging 21.1 points per game for the season. ... Pierce has now scored 30-plus points four times this season. He has broken the 30-point barrier 12 times in his career.