Falcons deal a winning hand
NDC plays their cards right in win over UNOH
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LIMA, Ohio – Notre Dame bounced back from their first loss of the season Tuesday with a 77-67 victory on the road at Northwestern Ohio. The Falcons, who lost at home on Saturday, now head into a 13-day layoff before their next game; NDC heads to West Palm Beach, Fla. in two weeks to compete in the Northwood Classic. The NDC Women are now 7-1 on the season, which matches their best eight-game start to a season; the Falcons also started the last two seasons 7-1.

On Tuesday, junior guard Ashley Carney (Solon, OH) poured in a personal season-high 26 points to lead the Falcons, who struggled early before finding a rhythm in the second half.

Both teams went on substantial runs throughout the first half. After 12 minutes, however, Notre Dame (7-1) and Northwestern Ohio (2-5) were knotted at 21-21. The Falcons, as they had in their last game - an 87-61 home loss to Rio Grande - struggled shooting the ball in the first. The Blue & Gold went into halftime trailing 34-32 and shooting just 30.3 percent (10-for-33).

The second half, however, was all-NDC. The veteran Falcons clearly outplayed the first-year Lady Racers as the game wore on; 2007-08 is the first season for UNOH athletics after a 22-year hiatus.

In the first seven minutes of the second period, the Falcons outscored the Lady Racers, 19-9. From that point forward, NDC controlled the game building as much as an 18-point lead by the three-minute mark. UNOH closed out the game with an 11-3 run.

Notre Dame did much of their damage in the second from the free throw line. They were fouled by the overmatched Lady Racers 25 times in the game. The Falcons went 24-of-35 (68.6 percent) from the line. Their 24 made free throws is a season-high, and it gave them a 10-point cushion over Northwestern Ohio, which made 14 charity tosses for the game. Carney led NDC at the free throw line, going six for seven. She also had a team-high six assists and four steals on the night.

Sophomore guard Amanda Brown (Vienna, VA) scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Yvette Hunter (Fr/Jamestown, NY) scored 12. Jamie Henry (Jr/Garfield Heights, OH) added 9. The Falcons found their shooting touch in the game's second half, connecting on 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) attempts from the floor.

"We played better in the second half," said Head Coach Dick Deasy. "We have some players that needed to step up into different roles, and tonight's second half showed more promise than the previous game-and-a-half."

Northwestern Ohio out-rebounded the Falcons 43-30. UNOH's Abbie Clifton (So/Van Wert, OH) pulled down a game-high 10 boards. She also led the Lady Racers in scoring, with 20 points. The young UNOH squad, whose roster is dotted with 10 freshmen, played tired in the second half, shooting just 30.6 percent (11-for-36). NDC also forced the Lady Racers into 24 turnovers while committing just 14 of their own.

For Carney, her 26-point game is the second-best scoring effort in a Falcon uniform. She scored 29 against Ursuline Feb. 1, 2007. Against UNOH on Tuesday, the veteran backcourt player hit on 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

The Falcons' next game is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 18, when the take on Dana (NE) in day-one of the Northwood Classic in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Notes from the Nest...

Meet the Racers: This is the first year for Northwestern Ohio basketball since the University re-established athletics after a 22-year absence. The Racers compete as an independent in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Back in the win column: The Falcons avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 26-27, 2007. NDC lost consecutive games three times in 2006-07, but never lost three straight. Notre Dame is now 4-0 this season away from home. Their average margin of victory in their road wins is 13.3 points.