BALTIMORE – The Notre Dame of Maryland basketball team was outnumbered in its home opener on Saturday evening against William Peace 72-55. In the first ever contest between the Gators and Pacers, the match featured great post play but was ultimately  decided by the scoring William Peace received from its bench. The Gators will fall to 0-2 to start  the new year. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first quarter was controlled early on by the Pacers. They held a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game but the Gators' top scorer Ayana Brim was fed down low to quickly trim down the Pacers' lead.  
• With the Pacers looking to attack the rim to stretch the early lead, Daija Fitchett rejected two shot attempts to keep the Gators within two points. The rim protection from the Gators became contagious as Bim was also able to swat away a Pacer shot attempt later in the quarter. Up 13-9 with three minutes left to play in the quarter, William Peace went on a 5-1 run to end the first 18-10.
• After a few early buckets from the Pacers, the Gators were staring at a 22-13 difficulty early on in the second. Alexis Durham came off a screen on a throw-in from Amya Durham to nail a three-pointer to cut the lead down to 22-16 with 7:44 to play. 
• Fitchett went up for a turnaround jumper but would grab her own rebound and finish, down 22-18. After a William Peace turnover, Alexis Durham found Brim in the low-post for a score and the foul. Notre Dame (Md.) went on a 11-2 run to tie the ballgame with 4:49 remaining in the second. After a William Peace answer, Chantel Curry found Alexis Durham for a spot-up three to even things at 24-24.
• The Gators went on to outscore the Pacers 21-19 in the quarter. The Pacers would take a 37-31 lead into the half. Notre Dame shot 35% from the field on (11-31) shooting. 
• In the third quarter both teams struggled to maintain possession with ill advised turnovers. The Gators held the Pacers to (5-for-17) but shot just (5-for-20). William Peace would take a 50-43 lead into the final quarter. 
• The Gators offense faced a difficult challenge at the rim throughout the second half. William Peace's Kiera Williams tallied seven blocks in the half and ended with eight.

OF NOTE

• Three Gators finished in double figures. Fitchett led the way with 16 points while Brim added 13 and Alexis Durham had 12 points to go with four assists. 
• Amya Durham ended the game with a game-high seven assists. She also had three steals. Durham had three against Washington College on Nov. 6.
• Fitchett led all players with 14 rebounds. Brim had eight and Jasimine Gardner played quality minutes giving the Gators six boards and three steals. 
• The Gators shot 37% from the floor (18-for-49), 31% from three-point land (4-for-13), and 52% from the foul line (11-for-14).

UP NEXT
Notre Dame (Md.) will visit Morgan State on Friday evening at 6 p.m. Watch and follow live stats at Notredamegators.com. Follow the basketball program on Twitter and Instagram and catch all things Gators on the Gators Network.