Sunshine sweep
Falcons go two-for-Florida in Northwood Invite

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Notre Dame capped off a two-game sweep in the Northwood Florida Classic Wednesday with a convincing 91-62 win over Knox College (IL). NDC defeated Dana College (NE) on Tuesday in the opener of the two-day invitational hosted by Northwood University (FL). The Falcons sported a balanced attack in dominating the Prairie Fire to claim their ninth win of the season.

Four Falcons, led by junior forward Jamie Henry (Garfield Heights, OH), finished in double figures and 13 NDC players found the scoring column, as NDC found the bottom of the net 40 times. Henry poured in 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The veteran forward also grabbed five rebounds and had a game-high four steals. Overall, NDC forced 33 turnovers, which led to 38 points.

It was Notre Dame (9-1) that started the game with a turnover - in the early moments of the game a Molly Baker (Jr/Avon Lake, OH) miscue led to a quick Knox (3-6) bucket. Nine minutes later, however, a Baker lay-up capped off a 27-6 run for NDC. The overmatched Prairie Fire couldn't recover from the surge, as Notre Dame shot the ball well for a second straight night, not allowing their opponent an opening to rally.

"We played well," said NDC Head Coach Dick Deasy. "We displayed a lot of balance and depth, which is something we like to have with our up-tempo style of play."

Notre Dame hit 20 field goals (20-for-41, 48.8 percent) in the first frame to take a 45-30 lead into halftime. In the first, the Falcons were led by sophomore guard Amanda Brown (Vienna, VA), who scored 14 points. The second-year guard would finish with 16 points in just 21 minutes of action.

In the second half, NDC knocked down another 20 field goals (20-for-37, 54.1 percent) and went on another big run (26-12) to ice the game. The Falcons' 40 field goals is their second-best mark of the season - NDC hit 45 against Temple Baptist on Nov. 13.

The Falcon offense definitely hit stride in the two game set in the Sunshine State - NDC shot 50.0 percent in a 73-55 win (over Dana) on Tuesday. Through their first 10 games this season, Notre Dame has been one of the top offensive teams in the nation.

The Blue & Gold have now scored 90 or more points in three contests this season. Their scoring average of 81.7 points per game ranks 11th in the nation, and its mostly come on the strength of solid shooting. The Falcons are shooting 48.0 percent as a team - that ranks fourth in the country among 150 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II programs. Their 91-point effort Wednesday came against a Knox team that was allowing just 60 points per game.

As a signal of their depth, NDC's top two scorers, Ashley Carney (Jr/Solon, OH) and Molly Baker, were held to a combined 25 points Wednesday, and the Falcons stilled rattled off 91 points. Carney scored 15 points and added three assists against Know, while Baker scored 10 and pulled down six rebounds.

Freshman center Yvette Hunter (Jamestown, NY) also contributed Wednesday - she scored eight points to go with two blocks and two steals in 15 minutes of play. Two other freshmen, Diana DePane (Jamestown, NY) and Kacy Andrusky (Canton, OH), each scored five points to lead a productive bench effort.

Madi Hanna led the Knox squad with 16 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.

For Jamie Henry, her 19 points and four steals mark career bests in each category. Wednesday was the second time this season she has led the Falcons in scoring.

The Falcons' win Wednesday sends them into a holiday break week on a three-game winning streak. NDC's next game will be Dec. 28 in the first day of the two-day Shawnee State Invitational in Portsmouth, Ohio. The 9-1 Falcons will face 10-1 Shawnee State, which is hosting the four-team invitational. The Bears are currently ranked No. 16 in the nation.

Notes from the Nest...

Friendly Fire : Wednesday's game against Knox was the Falcons' first-ever meeting with the Prairie Fire. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois (northwestern IL). The Prairie Fire are affiliated with the Midwest Conference as an NCAA-Div. III institution.

Top ten: Notre Dame's 9-1 start is the best 10-game mark in the history of the program. The Falcons' previous best was an 8-2 record, established in the first 10 games of the 2005-06 season.

Florida fanfare: Two Falcons, Molly Baker and Ashley Carney, were named to the All-Classic team for their efforts in the Falcons two-game Florida sweep. Baker notched 32 points and 11 rebounds in West Palm Beach, while Carney stuffed the stat sheet with 39 points, 10 assists, and eight steals.

Wings of steal: NDC collected 19 team steals against Knox. That's their second best total of the season; the Falcons swiped a program-record-tying 26 against SUNY-Fredonia (NY) on Nov. 17. On Wednesday, six Falcons posted multiple steals. Molly Baker and Ashley Carney are tied for the team lead in steals this season, with 25.