March continues
NDC tops No. 22 Rio Grande, 72-61, to advance in tourney
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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Notre Dame continued their march through the American Mideast Conference (AMC) Qualifying Tournament Saturday, with a 72-61 home win over the University of Rio Grande. The win propels the Falcons into the finals of the AMC Qualifying Tournament, for which the winner receives an automatic NAIA National Tournament bid.

The home court victory is also NDC's second over a ranked opponent in the last week. Rio Grande came to College Road Saturday ranked No. T-22 in the nation. The Falcons topped the No. 18 Daemen (NY) Lady Wildcats in the regular season finale a week ago (Feb. 23).

In the opening of Saturday's game, NDC jumped out to an early lead. When junior guard Molly Baker (Avon Lake, OH) knocked down a three at 11:35, she gave the home five an 18-11 lead. That trey would figure as Notre Dame's only 3-pointer of the game.

Rio Grande (23-7) battled back to cut the NDC advantage to two by the eight-minute mark. Notre Dame (23-6) retained the lead, however, and went into their Keller Center locker room at the half with a 30-25 lead. NDC held Rio to just 26.7 percent (8-for-30) from the floor in the opening stanza.

In the second, the Redwomen fought back to tie the score, 36-36, by 15:30. When Cleveland native Britney Walker (Sr/Cleveland, OH) hit a jumper at 15:08, it capped off a 9-2 run for URG and gave the visitors a two point lead, 38-36.

The Falcons answered right back with a six-point run of their own, four of which came from junior forward Jamie Henry (Garfield Heights, OH).

Once again, after the NDC run, Rio wrested away momentum - they went on a 12-4 run finished off by a Kaylee Helton (Fr/Lucasville, OH) try at 9:11. That gave the Redwomen, winners of five of their previous six games, a 53-50 lead. It also proved to be their last run.

Over the next nine minutes, Notre Dame pounded the ball inside on the offensive end and played stifling defense underneath their own hoop. In the game's last nine minutes, Notre Dame outscored Rio Grande, 24-8. The Falcons forced a number of URG miscues down the stretch; for the game NDC forced 18 turnovers, while only committing nine of their own.

All five starters for the Blue & Gold finished in double figures. Baker and freshman center Yvette Hunter (Jamestown, NY) led the way with 17 points each. Baker also added nine rebounds. Jamie Henry contributed 15 points and seven boards.

Notre Dame shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) for the game.

The Redwomen were led by a 17-point, 12-rebound effort by Erin Kume (Jr/Marion, OH). They finished the game with a 39.3 percent (24-for-61) mark from the field.

"This is a big win for us," said Head Coach Dick Deasy, whose Falcons have now won five straight. "Our girls, everyone on the floor, executed and did the things you need to do to beat a fundamentally strong basketball team like Rio. It was a great game to watch."

In addition to sending the Falcons even further into the AMC playoffs, the NDC victory Saturday also avenges what was an embarrassing home loss to the Redwomen. URG handed Notre Dame its first loss of the season back on Dec. 1 in an 87-61 blowout. The minus-26-point margin represents the worst home loss in Deasy's NDC career (2001-present).

Notre Dame will host the AMC Qualifying Tournament finale Tuesday at 7:30pm. As of Saturday afternoon, they were awaiting their opponent. NDC will meet the winner of Saturday night's Roberts Wesleyan (NY)-at-Ohio Dominican tilt. ODU is the South #1 seed in the tournament - they are ranked No.19 in the nation.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

TWENTY-SOMETHING: Notre Dame's 23 wins thus far in 2007-08 already stand as the program's third best total in its history. The Falcons won 26 games in 04-05 and followed that up with 25 wins the following season. Beginning with the 04-05 season, the Falcons have won 20-plus games in four consecutive seasons. Their aggregate record since 2004 now stands at 95-30 (.760).

A BIG PLUS: Notre Dame garnered a plus-9 in the turnover battle against Rio. The Falcons have not lost the turnover battle in a game since Feb. at Malone (76-70 loss). They've tied or won on turnovers in 16 of their last 17 games.

HUNTING LICENSE: Yvette Hunter continued her recent surge in Saturday's game. With her 17-and-8 game, the 5-11 Hunter is now averaging 18.0 points and 10.0 boards per game over her last five.