NDC A-OK in AMC
Falcons soar to 4-0 in conference play
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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio– Notre Dame picked up its fourth consecutive victory Saturday with an American Mideast Conference (AMC) win at Murphy Gymnasium.  The Falcons turned away Houghton College (NY), 79-59 for the win to remain undefeated in North Division play.

With the win, Notre Dame has now defeated Houghton in eight straight games.  The Falcons also keep pace in the AMC North with the victory – they are now 4-0 in the circuit.

Notre Dame (13-3, 4-0) and Houghton (6-8, 0-3) traded baskets for the first 12 minutes of the first half.  When junior guard Molly Baker (Avon Lake, OH) and sophomore forward Kate Verhoff (Elyria, OH) hit a pair of treys on back-to-back possessions, the Falcons took a 26-17 lead at the 6-minute mark.  Baker and junior guard Ashley Carney (Solon, OH) would lead the NDC effort in the first, each scoring nine points, and Notre Dame took a 32-22 lead into halftime.

The Falcons shot 35.9 percent (14-for-39) in the opening frame against the AMC’s third-ranked defense.  Meanwhile the NDC defense held the Highlanders to a 34.5 percent (10-for-29) mark in the first.  The Falcons out-rebounded Houghton, 27-19, in the first, with junior forward Jamie Henry (Garfield Heights, OH) and Verhoff controlling the boards.

In the second half, Notre Dame opened up a 50-32 lead by 12:20.  The 18-10 run to start the period was fueled by the Falcons connecting on seven of their first 10 attempts from the field.

Houghton answered over the next two minutes with an 8-0 run of their own.  But NDC stopped the bleeding to reclaim control of the game.  When Carney hit a fast-break lay-up on a feed from Baker at 4:30, the Falcons had built a 66-48 lead.  From the nine to the three-minute mark in the second, NDC outscored Houghton 20-7 to put the game away.

Sophomore guard Amanda Brown (Vienna, VA) poured in 14 points in the second to lead the Falcons.  Brown finished the game with a personal season-high 19 points.  Carney finished with 18 points.  Baker added 17, for the Falcons, who have now scored 78 or more points in three of their last four games.  The Falcons’ 78.5 points per game rank third in the conference and 14th in the nation.

Shannon Daugherty (Fr/Houghton, NY) led the Highlanders with 11 points on the afternoon.  NDC held Houghton’s top two scorers (freshman center Ashley Dupler and sophomore forward Leah French) to a combined 14 points in the game.  French torched Notre Dame for 27 points in the last meeting between the two teams (Jan. 27, 2007).

NDC shot 42.3 percent (33-for-78) in the game.  The Falcons out-rebounded the Highlanders, 52-41.  The team’s 52 boards is their most since they hauled down the same number at St. Vincent-PA on Nov. 24.  Jamie Henry and Kate Verhoff each collected 10 boards, with Henry picking up seven of hers on the offensive glass.

With the win, Notre Dame keeps pace with the Wildcats of Daemen College (NY) atop the AMC North standings.  NDC went into Saturday’s game trailing the Wildcats by a half-game in the standings.  The loss for Houghton was their third in their last four games.

The Falcons’ next game is scheduled for Monday.  Tip off in the special holiday tilt against the backyard rival Ursuline Arrows is slated for 7:00pm.

NOTES FROM THE NEST…

HENRY HAULS DOWN 10:  Jamie Henry posted double-figures in rebounding (10) for a fourth time this season.  Henry has averaged 8.6 rebounds per game over her last five.  The 5-foot-10 product of Garfield Heights High School leads NDC on the glass this season, with 6.9 boards per contest… When the Falcons out-rebounded the Highlanders Saturday, it marked the first time in six games they had come out on the plus side of the rebounding ledger.  NDC had been out-rebounded in each of the previous five games and in nine of their last 10.

THIEVERY:  Molly Baker collected five steals Saturday against Houghton.  Over the Falcons’ last four games, the Avon Lake native has 19 thefts (4.8 per game).  Ashley Carney picked up seven steals against the Highlanders, who committed 27 turnovers in the game.  The Falcons were a plus-6 in turnovers for the game.  They came into Saturday’s tilt ranked second in the league and 12th in the nation in turnover margin (+5.6)… As a team, Notre Dame ranks second in the AMC, with 12.9 steals per game.  Mount Vernon Nazarene averages 14.3. 

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS COME:  NDC is now 5-1 at Murphy Gymnasium this season.  Over their last 51 games on College Road, the Falcons are 44-7 (.863 winning percentage).