Good hunting
Falcons bag Wildcat on the loose
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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame saved their best for last.  In the regular season finale Saturday, the Falcons were pitted against the No. 18 team in the nation – Daemen College (NY).  At 13-0 in the division and having already clinched the AMC North, Daemen came to College Road with a 17-game winning streak in tow.  That streak officially came to an end when the Murphy Gymnasium clock hit triple-zeroes at the end of the game.  It was only 1.3 seconds before that point that freshman center Yvette Hunter (Jamestown, NY) hit a free throw to put NDC up by the final score, 65-64.

That free throw capped off a team-high 19-point, 12-rebound performance for Hunter, who was mobbed by teammates when the final horn sounded the victory.

“I’m happy for Yvette and very proud of our team,” said Head Coach Dick Deasy.  “That’s a quality team we were able to hang with.  They are well-coached and do a lot of things well.  Today, we did a lot of things well, too.”

Daemen (22-5, 13-0) blitzed NDC off the opening tip, which bounced into the hands of junior guard Haleigh VanFleet (Clyde, NY), who converted on a lay-up.  Three minutes later, at 16:45, VanFleet made a nifty pass to a cutting Sarah Soroka (Jr/East Aurora, NY) to give the Lady Wildcats a 9-4 lead.

Notre Dame (20-6, 10-3) gradually cut into the Daemen lead and would eventually tie the game, 13-13, at 9:30.  The DC frontcourt tandem of Sarah Bogardus (Jr/Dunkirk, NY) and Mary Kate Wilson (Jr/East Aurora, NY) combined to lead the way in the first with 18 points.  A staunch Daemen defense held NDC to a 30.6 percent (11-for-36) mark from the field in the opening half.

The Lady Wildcats continually lobbed the ball into the paint throughout the first in building what would be a 33-26 by halftime.

In the second stanza, NDC cut the Daemen lead to one, 42-41, when junior guard Molly Baker (Avon Lake, OH) hit a baseline jumper at 13:10. 

The Falcons tied the game at 47-47 on an 18-footer off the fingertips of junior guard Ashley Carney (Solon, OH) at 8:47.  After a steal under the basket, Amanda Brown (So/Vienna, VA) converted a pair of free throws to give the Blue & Gold a 49-47 lead.  Brown would go on to score 10 second-half points for NDC; she scored 17 for the game.

The two fives swapped baskets over the next few minutes of game play.  Sarah Bogardus converted on a three-point play at 5:15 to give Daemen a 57-55 lead.  After NDC had taken the lead back, Mary Kate Wilson drained a three at 2:45 to put the Lady Wildcats up by two, 62-60.

Yvette Hunter tied the game at 62-62 on an inside move at the right block with 1:15 remaining.  Forty seconds later, the freshman pivot went to the free throw line with a chance to break that tie.  Hunter hit a pair to put NDC up, 64-62. 

The Lady Wildcats’ Bogardus got to the line after a foul call on a spinner in the lane with 20 seconds remaining.  The AMC’s leading scorer drilled both to tie the score at 64-64.

With three ticks remaining on the clock, Carney found a cutting Jamie Henry (Jr/Garfield Heights, OH), who missed a shot in traffic.  Hunter grabbed the rebound and was fouled on a put-back attempt.  She went to the line with 1.3 seconds remaining.  In between timeouts called by Daemen Head Coach Dave Skolen, Hunter missed the first and then rolled the second in off a rim-board carom. 

After a timeout, Daemen was unable to get a shot off in the remaining time.

For the game, Hunter led NDC with 19 points.  Amanda Brown added 17, and Ashley Carney chipped in 13.  The Falcons shot 30.9 percent (21-for-68) from the floor for the game.  They dominated the turnover battle, normally a staple for Daemen, finishing at plus-11 (13 turnovers to DC’s 24).  Brown (four steals) and Hunter (two blocks, two steals) led the Falcon defense.

Sarah Bogardus scored a game-high 24 to lead the Lady Wildcats.  Mary Kate Wilson scored 17.  Haleigh VanFleet collected nine assists on the afternoon.

The win Saturday sends Notre Dame into the AMC postseason, which begins Feb. 27, on a high note.  NDC will host a first round game in the AMC Qualifying Tournament, which includes places two through five from each division (North and South) in the 16-team league. (The division champions, Damen and Shawnee State, will meet in the AMC Championship Game Saturday, Mar. 1. Both receive automatic bids to the NAIA Division II National Tournament.) The winner of the Qualifying Tournament receives a third automatic bid to the National Tournament.

Notre Dame's opponent in the first round will be either Ursuline or Malone, depending on Saturday results. The opening tip is slated for 7:30pm. 2007-08 marks the fifth consecutive season Notre Dame has qualified for postseason competition.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: Notre Dame honored Sarah Dia (Sr/Parma, OH) as part of the program's Senior Day in a pregame ceremony. Dia is the lone senior on the 2007-08 squad. The 5-foot-5 guard from Holy Name High School has been injured for most of this season, but she still stands among the program's Top-10 in career points, 3-pointers made, and assists. Dia is a veteran of 97 collegiate games on College Road, including 68 consecutive starts from 2005 to 2007. ... The Women's program also honored a number of alumni on hand for it's annual Alumni Day. Fifteen former NDC players took to the court in Murphy Gymnasium Saturday morning for their annual Alumni Game.