BALTIMORE – The Notre Dame of Maryland basketball team kicked off the 2021-22 regular season slate hot in the first quarter against Washington College (Md.) Shorewomen. The Gators went into the half tied 26-26 but would suffer defeat late in the second half after giving up 45 points and putting up only 25 points in the second half. 


HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first quarter, the Gators saw scrappy play early from the young guards. Alexis Durham led the charge for the Gators. The freshman stole a pass and went coast to coast to give the Gators an 8-2 lead. 
• Durham's activity on the court in the first showed on the stat sheet. She had eight straight points to lift the Gators out to a 14-4 lead with three to play in the quarter. Durham had two steals and a block after one.
• During the Gators' 17-6 run, Chantel Curry came in and added on to the defensive pressure from Notre Dame. Curry had two steals. 
• Notre Dame shot 50%, (6-for-12) from the court in the first and held the Shorewomen to 13% from the field on (2-for-15) shooting. In the second quarter, Notre Dame struggled to find that same rhythm in the second. 
• Washington College dug deep into its rotation, showing aggression on the offensive boards to create second-chance scores to cut down the Gators lead.  
• The Shorewomen overtook the lead early in the third 35-28 after the Gators failed to capitalize on three consecutive positions. 
• Junior forward Ayana Brim found her touch around the rim midway through the second half. She led the Gators with nine points in the third quarter and would finish with a team-high of 18 points. 

OF NOTE

• Amya Durham finished with 10 points but spent a good part of the game looking to set her teammates up. Durham had six assists and three steals to lead the Gators.
• Alexis Durham went (3-for-7) from behind the arc and finished with 11 points four assists and six rebounds. 
• Brim's 18 points were a game-high. Daija Fitchett had a game-high three blocks to go with a team-high of nine rebounds.
• 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 host William Peace University in its home-opener on Saturday, November 13 at 11 a.m.
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