Back on track
NDC turns back Urbana, 89-71
| Box |

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame bounced back from their opening night loss to defeat Urbana Saturday, 89-71. The victory for the Falcons came less than 24 hours after dropping a 79-77 overtime decision to Ohio Dominican on Friday.

Notre Dame (1-1) fell behind early as they had the previous night; Urbana had a 12-7 lead by the 14:24 mark. The Falcons then went on 13-4 run over the next four minutes to take the lead, 20-16. From that point on, NDC did not trail in the game.

Urbana (0-1) struggled with their offense as the first period wore on. Even after a hot start, the Blue Knights wound up shooting just 40.0 percent (10-for-25) in the first half. By the time halftime arrived, Notre Dame had a 14-point lead, 44-30.

Both teams played well in the second half. In the opening 10 minutes of the second frame, Notre Dame displayed some crisp passing, which created multiple scoring opportunities. Senior point guard Jerome Pierce (Toledo, OH), junior guard Kyle Miller (Piketon, OH), and sophomore center Karim McFarlane (Portmore, Jamaica) took turns creating chances with excellent feeds on layups, and by the 10-minute mark, NDC opened up a 23-point lead.

Pierce connected on five 3-pointers, chipped in five assists and scored a team-high 29 points for the game. Miller also added five assists. McFarlane had three assists. The 6-foot-7 pivot man also had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

"It was good for us to come back and win today," said NDC Head Coach Kevin Bille. "We got after it defensively today, and that created some things for us on the other end."

For the game, Notre Dame shot 52.4 percent (33-for-63), while Urbana connected for 42.4 percent (25-for-59). The Falcons out-rebounded the Blue Knights, 41-30.

The Falcons' next game is slated for Friday, Nov. 16, when they host Miami University-Hamilton at 6:00pm in the first game of the NDC Holiday Inn Tip-Off Tournament.

Notes from the Nest...

Frosh for three: Freshman guard Eric Maag (Columbus Grove, OH) scored 11 points Saturday in his second collegiate game. The product of Columbus Grove High School was 3-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc and connected on a pair of free throws. Maag also notched a pair of steals in his 17 minutes of action against Urbana.

We meet again: Saturday's NDC-UU game marked the first meeting between the two porgrams since the 2002-03 season. The Falcons are now 2-1 all-time against the Blue Knights. NDC's last win against Urbana came on Nov. 8, 2002, and was the program's first-ever road victory.