ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College basketball team dropped its season finale to Notre Dame of Maryland University, 80-56, on Saturday afternoon in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) contest at Lees Gymnasium on Senior Day. Prior to the game, the Falcons honored its three seniors: Sam Engel (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon), Kaylen Ledford (Cranford, N.J./Cranford), and Ashley Wilson (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) in a special pregame ceremony.

The Gators doubled up Cedar Crest in the opening quarter, 26-13.

After Notre Dame pushed the lead to 15, 30-15, after a layup from senior Ayana Brim (Baltimore, Md.) with 6:31 to play in the second quarter, the Falcons rattled off six straight points to cut the deficit to nine, 30-21 with 4:23 left. The run was capped off by a jumper from Wilson.

Cedar Crest trimmed the margin to eight, 32-24, following a triple by first-year Jordan McGhee (Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove) with 2:27 remaining, but the Gators closed the frame on an 8-2 run to enter the half with a 40-26 advantage.

Notre Dame of Maryland University broke the game open in the third quarter after a 17-0 run, finished off by a three-pointer from sophomore Alexis Durham (Atlanta, Ga.) at the 3:04 mark to push the margin to 30, 61-31. The Falcons answered back with a 7-0 spurt, but a layup by Brim with 1:18 remaining sent the Gators into the final frame up, 63-38.

Notre Dame stretched its advantage to as many as 36 in the last quarter, but the Falcons made a late push. With the score 76-43, Cedar Crest went on a 12-2 run to make the score 78-56. The run was capped off by a three-pointer from Haivynn Kovach (Virginia Beach, Va./Churchland) with 1:27 left and regulation and the game would end with the 80-56 final score.

Wilson netted a season-high 35 points on 14-for-24 shooting, including 6-for-12 from three-point range, to go along with two rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Kovach joined Wilson in double figures with 12 points, one rebound, one assist, and a steal. McGhee finished with seven points, four boards, two assists, and a steal, while sophomore Rachel Bilger (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Dublin) contributed two points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Durham led the way for NDMU with 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Junior Kori People (Washington, D.C.) followed with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 5-for-6 from distance, and also had two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Brim pitched in 17 points, seven caroms, and three assists, while graduate student Daija Fitchett (Baltimore, Md.) finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards. She also had three assists and a steal.

This game marked the end of the season for Cedar Crest (3-16 overall, 3-14 CSAC). Notre Dame of Maryland University has clinched the No. 1 for the upcoming CSAC Tournament and will host the lowest remaining seed of the quarterfinal winners on Wednesday, February 22 in a semifinal matchup.

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