Cleveland Reporter

Not only did Notre Dame College score over 80 points for the second consecutive game, but the defense held an opponent to less than 65 points and under 43-percent shooting for the third straight game. On Monday afternoon, NDC defeated D'Youville University by a score of 83-57.

The two teams were very close in the first eight minutes of the game. Prior to the 12-minute mark, the contest featured three lead changes and four ties.

Sophomore DeAirius Barker got the Falcons going with a deep three-pointer to knot the game up at 11. He was fouled on the next possession and gave NDC a 13-11 lead at the free throw line, with 12:16 on the clock.

D'Youville took seven more shots than the Falcons in the first half, but shot just 27-percent from the field. After a layup by Will Kondrat tied the game at 13, DYU missed five shots in a row and turned the ball over three times over the next three minutes. A steal and a layup by senior Jaedon Willis put the Falcons up 20-15, with 8:21 to go before halftime.

Notre Dame was unable to put the Saints away in the first half, as D'Youville cut the deficit to three points, 22-19, with 6:13 on the clock, after Luke Theisen knocked down two free throws.

Sophomore Obinna Ugwuakazi found his way to the basket, twice, in the final minute of the first half and hit both layups. The Falcons went into the locker room with a 36-28 advantage.

Ugwuakazi had six points, on three-of-four shooting, and four rebounds in the first half. He would end the game with a career-high 10 points and five made shots, along with six rebounds off the bench.

To start the second half, sophomore Andre Harris grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled when he tried to put a shot up. He split the pair of free throws with 19:40 on the clock. Harris would take 12 free throws in the final 20 minutes of the game, making eight of them. He totaled 14 second half points.

Notre Dame went on a 5-0 run and after senior Daylin Lee dunked the ball, D'Youville called a timeout, trailing by a score of 41-28, less than two minutes into the second half.

The Saints cut the Falcons' lead to 10 points, 43-33, with 15:41 remaining in the game, but that would be as close as they could get. Notre Dame would score 47 second half points.

NDC stretched the lead to 21 after Willis hit back-to-back threes and the Falcons led 69-48, with 4:39 to go. The Falcons' point guard had 11 points in the second half and finished the game with 21.

With less than four minutes remaining, Barker grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball ahead to Harris for a dunk to give NDC its largest lead of the game (27), 75-48. That capped a 19-4 run for the Falcons.

Possibly the player of the game was graduate student Tyland Crawford who nearly had a triple-double. He ended the game with a season-high 12 points, along with career-highs in rebounds (11) and assists (8).

The Falcons hauled in a season-high 45 defensive rebounds and 57 total rebounds and they outrebounded D'Youville 57-41. NDC had 28 more points in the paint than the Saints. DYU made just 18 shots and put together a 25-percent field goal percentage, the lowest of any Notre Dame opponent this season.

NDC will come back home to host Mount Aloysius College, on Dec. 30, with a 4 p.m. tipoff. 

Original source can be found here.