SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Brittany Stawovy and Cierra Tolbert both earned double-doubles as the West Virginia Wesleyan (1-7) women's basketball team's second half comeback was fended off by Notre Dame (Ohio) (7-1) in a 76-66 loss inside Murphy Gymnasium on Monday (Feb. 1). 
 
"We showed great fight tonight," head coach Vicky Bullett said. "I'm very proud of our team and Notre Dame is a great opponent." 
 
Leaders for WVWC
Stawovy notched her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tolbert has recorded back-to-back double-doubles after putting up 10 points and 12 boards. 
 
Abi Gabauer was a rebound shy of joining the double-double party with 10 points and nine rebounds. Courtney Wilfong snagged eight boards and distributed six assists. Freshmen Taylor Dunbar and Tamera Maple eached finished with six points. 
 
Leaders for Notre Dame (Ohio)
Jada Marone scored a game-high 19 points and Marina Adachi added 17 points for the Falcons. 
 
Team Stats
WVWC outrebounded NDC by a 51-37 margin. The Bobcats outscored the Falcons 40-36 in the second half. 
 
Inside the First Half
Nearly three minutes into the opening quarter, Summer Matlack passed the ball ahead to Wilfong for a fast break layup to tie the score, 4-4. Less than a minute later at the 6:40 mark, Wilfong found Stawovy in the corner for a triple as the score evened again (7-7). 
 
Malaika Kimmons made her second layup of the game to tie it up at nine points apiece with 4:38 to play in the first quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued. Dunbar and Gabauer both connected on mid-range jumpers in the final two minutes of the opening frame as the Bobcats trailed 17-13 after one. 
 
The Falcons got off to a strong start in the second quarter. Maple Heights, Ohio, native Tamera Maple drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull WVWC back within single digits, behind 28-20 with 6:09 left in the first half. Notre Dame (Ohio) outscored Wesleyan 23-13 in the second quarter to lead 40-26 at halftime.
 
Inside the Second Half
Notre Dame (Ohio) created a 48-30 advantage at the 6:39 mark of the third quarter. The Bobcats answered with a 7-0 run spurred by a Gabauer trey and a pair of buckets from Stawovy with 4:18 to go in the third. 
 
Gabauer connected on another shot from long range to bring Wesleyan within single digits, trailing 50-42 with 2:22 left before the fourth quarter. Tolbert muscled inside for a layup in the waning moments of the third as WVWC was within striking distance (53-44) after three frames. 
 
Another triple from Stawovy and a jumper from Dunbar cut the deficit to just 61-56 with 6:10 remaining in regulation. NDC answered with an 8-0 run and held off a Bobcat team that did not go down quietly. 
 
Up Next
WVWC women's basketball is scheduled to welcome Wheeling to the Rockefeller Center on Wednesday (Feb. 3) at 5 p.m.