NDC falls in nonconference battle

The typical college basketball season has its ups and downs. The Notre Dame College men’s team had an upbeat opening weekend in West Virginia that yielded encouraging wins over Slippery Rock and California (Pa.) University.

Returning home to play the Roberts Wesleyan College RedHawks on Nov. 13 at Murphy Gymnasium, the Falcons absorbed a reality check.

The visitors from Rochester, N.Y., pulled away in the second half to an 83-67 victory. Both teams are 2-1.

NDC coach Tim Koenig was disappointed with the outcome but not surprised the RedHawks came into the Falcons’ house and dominated.

Roberts Wesleyan, a member of the tough East Coast Conference, got the better of NDC last season, 79-76, in Rochester.

“We knew they were a good team,” Koenig said. “They came in here, beat us on the glass and beat us on the dribble. They got shots. They made shots.”

Sophomore guard Regie Clark netted a game-high 25 points for the RedHawks. He was 7-of-7 from the field overall and 4-of-4 on 3-pointers. Junior guard Isaiah Lewis added 15 points.

Roberts Wesleyan had commanding advantages in bench scoring (35-15), second-chance points (2012) and rebounds (44-33).

Senior forward Will Voorhees paced the Falcons with 20 points but struggled from the field, making eight of 20 shots. He grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

NDC freshman guardforward Isaish Sanders finished with 14 points. Sophomore guard Halil Parks added 11 points.

The Falcons weathered a fast start by the RedHawks and led, 23-14, with nine minutes remaining in the first half. By halftime, though, the tide had turned against NDC as Roberts Wesleyan took a 37-31 lead into the break.

NDC trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half. The Falcons open Mountain East Conference play Nov. 17 at Concord (W.Va.) University. Tipoff is 4 p.m.