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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame's Larenz Thurman hit seven three's in the first half to spark a run that Urbana men's basketball couldn't overcome in Saturday's 100-72 setback to the Falcons.
UU dropped to 5-11 overall and 3-9 in conference games following the loss, while NDC improved to 13-5 (9-3 MEC). The Blue Knights are currently 10th in the Mountain East Conference standings with 10 games remaining on the regular season slate. The Falcons hold steady at third place on the MEC ballot.
Malik Jacobs led UU with 26 points on a season-high four made 3-pointers and also grabbed a team-high six boards.
Datrey Long finished with 15 points, four assists and four steals. The Blue Knights shot just 40 percent overall and 38 percent from three-point range on 12 made three's.
NDC's Thurman led all scorers with 31 points on 8-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. All-American Will Vorhees recorded 28 points, 11 boards and five assists. Vorhees became the first player in MEC history to record 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. The Falcons shot a blistering 55 percent from the floor and 47 percent from range.
The Blue Knights and Falcons both started hot from the field as Jacobs buried a pair of three's to put UU ahead 6-0 early.
Midway through the first half,
Jordan Bradley put UU ahead 22-19 on a made 3-pointer with 11:22 until halftime.
But then Thurman took over for the host Falcons.
The junior transfer exploded for five treys over a six-minute span to ignite a 19-5 run for the Falcons. That momentum lifted NDC to a 48-32 halftime advantage. UU never recovered as the deficit swelled to as much as 36 in the second half.
NDC dominated the boards with a 52-24 margin and outscored UU 46-20 on points in the paint.
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UU travels to Charleston (WV) next Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. mid-week matchup. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 92-80 victory over West Virginia State on Saturday. UC came away with a narrow 81-79 victory over UU back on Dec. 5 in Urbana.
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