Campaign ended
Tourney hopes dashed by Ohio Dominican
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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Ohio Dominican defeated Notre Dame Tuesday, 81-73, in the finals of the American Mideast Conference (AMC) Qualifying Tournament.  With the win, the 20th-ranked Panthers advance to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship Tournament. 

The loss for Notre Dame likely ends their season after a valiant run late in the season and the AMC postseason.  Notre Dame had won five in a row heading into Tuesday night, including two wins over ranked teams. 

Behind the inside play of Jamie Henry (Jr/Garfield Heights, OH) and Yvette Hunter (Fr/Jamestown, NY), Notre Dame jumped out to a 21-16 lead by the 10-minute mark in the first.  The frontcourt duo combined to score 14 of the Falcons’ first 21.  As a team, Notre Dame knocked down nine of their first 13 attempts from the field.

NDC extended their lead to double digits (27-16) at 8:20 on a spinner by Hunter on the left block.  The Panthers battled back with a 13-2 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Kirsten Ruen (Columbus Grove, OH) with 40 seconds remaining in the half.  The ODU defense clamped down late in the first frame, allowing fewer quality shots.  NDC misfired on their last six attempts in the period, and the two teams went into halftime tied 29-29.

In the second stanza, Hunter picked up her third and fourth personal fouls by 16:30.  Ohio Dominican took advantage of NDC’s hottest player being out with foul trouble.  The Panthers drained a couple threes in a 10-0 run to take a 42-36 lead by 14:30.  By 8:26, ODU had built a 59-47 lead by hitting 10 of their first 16 attempts in the second.

The Panthers continued their hot shooting, not allowing the Falcons to cut into their double digit lead.  In the second half, Ohio Dominican would shoot 60.7 percent (17-for-28).  The Panthers hit seven of 12 (58.3 percent) 3-point attempts in the half as well.

The Blue & Gold cut the ODU lead to nine (68-59) on a Molly Baker (Jr/Avon Lake, OH) trey at 3:26.  Ohio Dominican, however, kept the pressure on by continuing to make shots.  The Panthers also took control of the boards in the second.  After being out-rebounded 15-14 by the Falcons in the first, the Panthers out-boarded NDC 22-10 in the second half.

Six points was the closest the Falcons could cut the ODU lead, and the Panthers ran out the final minutes to claim the 81-73 victory in the tournament’s title game.

Junior guard Ashley Carney (Solon, OH) led the NDC effort with 20 points and eight assists.  Yvette Hunter and Jamie Henry were slowed in the second by foul trouble and a fronting defense played by ODU forwards.  They each finished with 14 points and three rebounds.  NDC shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) for the game.

The Panthers were led by senior forward Krissy Haines (St. Mary’s, OH), who poured in 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting.  Katalin Beck (Sr/Granville, OH) added 17 points.  ODU will head into the national tournament having won three straight and five of their last six.

"This was a tough way to go out," said Head Coach Dick Deasy. "I think the girls we're exhausted from the grueling schedule we've played. Their (Ohio Dominican's) depth really helped them in the second half. They did a nice job."

With Tuesday's loss likely closing out the 2007-08 campaign for Notre Dame season, Deasy also commented on the season: "I couldn't be more proud of this team and the way they overcame injuries, illnesses, and obstacles throughout the year," said NDC's seventh-year bench boss. "Whatever happened, they always learned and adjusted and got through it together."

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

FAB FIVE: All five of Notre Dame's starters (Baker, Brown, Carney, Henry, Hunter) scored in double figures against Ohio Dominican. That marks the third time in their last five games that NDC accomplished that feat. All five starters also finished the season with double digit scoring averages. Ashley Carney's 15.9 point-per-game average led the team for the season.

PANTHERS POUNCE: From the 8-minute mark in the first half through the end of Tuesday's game, the Panthers outscored the Falcons, 65-46. Over that 28-minute stretch, ODU shot 58.5 percent (24-for-41) from the field.

STAT WRAP: Ashley Carney's eight assists Tuesday close out her 2007-08 season with 126. That ties Carney for third-place in NDC single-season records. ... The loss to ODU officially closes out Sarah Dia's (Sr/Parma, OH) NDC career. Dia finishes her career with 970 points, which passes current NDC Assistant Coach Karen Battle (01-05) for eighth place on the Falcons' all-time scoring list. Dia was injured Dec. 1 and missed the remainder of the season. ... Two Falcons, Molly Baker and Jamie Henry started all 30 of Notre Dame's games this season. Five players appeared in all 30 games - Baker, Henry, Amanda Brown (So/Vienna, VA), Yvette Hunter, and Terri Immarino (So/Kirtland, OH). Baker led the team in minutes played this season, with 996 (33.2 per game).