CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Notre Dame College proved to have Charleston's number once again as the sixth seeded Falcons overcame an 11 point halftime deficit to defeat the third seeded Golden Eagles in the Mountain East Championship quarterfinals 65-55 Thursday afternoon at the Charleston Civic Center.

Charleston was swept by Notre Dame this season, losing twice in the regular season before falling to the Falcons for the third time in the MEC tournament.

Kiara Johnson was the game's leading scorer with 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor and added seven rebounds and three blocks.  Deja Gibson was the only other Golden Eagle in double figures with 10 points while also pulling down seven boards.  UC struggled from behind the arc, hitting on just two of the 16 attempts while also committing 23 turnovers which led to 20 Falcon points.

MEC Player of the Year, Martha Nagbe, was held in check for the first 20 minutes going scoreless in the half before finally getting on track in the second to finish with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.  Lauren Langenderfer paced the Falcons with 15 points on her way to a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds and seven of those on the offensive glass.

UC had things rolling in the first half, jumping out to a 30-19 lead going into the break.  The Golden Eagles were doing most of their damage on the defensive end, limiting Notre Dame to 21% shooting from the field while also dominating the paint, outscoring the Falcons 22 to eight inside the lane. 

Charleston couldn't duplicate their first half play and quickly found themselves tied with the Falcons at 40-40 eight minutes into the second half.  Langenderfer gave Notre Dame the lead for good at 42-40 at the 11 minute mark and the Falcons never looked back, building their second half lead out to as many as 13 points before earning the 10-point win, 65-55. 

Free throws proved to be the main difference in the game as Notre Dame went to the line 26 times converting on 19 compared to just 10 opportunities and five makes for Charleston. 

UC finishes the season at 22-7 but still has a slim chance of making the NCAA Tournament with the field to be selected Sunday evening.