ELKINS, W.Va. - Davis & Elkins men's basketball did not go quietly in a back-and-forth 98-91 loss to Notre Dame (Ohio) on Monday night inside the McDonnell Center.
Davis & Elkins (2-6) clawed back to tie the score at 56 and ultimately take leads of 59-58 and 61-60 before Notre Dame (Ohio) (4-5) countered with a 7-2 run. The Senators mounted a comeback once again, tying the score at 70, until the Falcons snatched the lead back with consecutive buckets.
NDC eventually widened its cushion to 11 points at 90-79 with just 2:40 remaining, holding off one final late charge by the Senators.
Kyle Leslie drained a crucial three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to slice the D&E deficit to 93-91 before NDC made five of six attempts at the charity stripe to seal the victory.
Sam Rolle IV led the Senators with 23 points, two rebounds, nine assists and four steals, just missing a double-double while playing all 40 minutes.
Breland Walton posted 18 points and eight rebounds in a gutsy effort inside, while
Gyasi Powell fired in 19 points.
Jordan Roland dazzled with a game-high 28 points, adding seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals in an all-around 40-minute effort for Notre Dame (Ohio). Michael Sampson had a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds and Jordan Burton fired in 18 points. John Godinez went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to add 11 points for the Falcons.
Davis & Elkins battled foul trouble within its seven-player lineup as Notre Dame held a decisive 45-32 advantage on the boards. The Falcons cashed in on the lopsided rebounding margin with 16 second-chance points. Monday's matchup featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes as the teams battled in a rescheduled game from earlier in January.
NDC shot 52% from the floor, holding a 46-30 edge in paint points. The Senators, which converted just one three last time out against Wheeling, went 12-of-26 from deep.
The Falcons led for the majority of the opening 20 minutes, moving ahead by 14 points with 1:55 remaining. Triples from Rolle IV with 55 seconds left and
Fable Burden III with five seconds remaining made the score 48-41 heading into the intermission. Burden III ended the night with a career-high 11 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench.
D&E is back home on Wednesday, February 10 for a matchup with nearby West Virginia Wesleyan at 7:00 PM.
