Cherry scored 15 of her points in the second half, as Notre Dame outscored the Knights 38-32 after the break.
The win improved the Gators’ record to 4-0. It is the first time since records have been kept, beginning in 1985-86, that a Notre Dame basketball team has begun a season with four-straight wins.
Neumann (3-3) scored the opening basket and led by as much as three in the first four minutes, but Notre Dame took the lead for good on two free throws by junior forward Casie Hall (Baltimore, Md./Lansdowne High School) at the 16:12 mark.
The Gators extended the lead to as much as 17, 41-24 and 43-26 in the closing minutes of the half, before going into the lockerroom with a 43-31 lead.
The Knights cut the lead to eight, 45-37, with 17:07 to play in the game, but a jumper and subsequent free throw by Cherry gave Notre Dame a double-digit lead for good.
Junior guard Kimberly Ordille (Ocean City, N.J./Holy Spirit High School) scored 14 points, 12 in the first half, while junior guard Katie Lawson (Lawton, Mich./Lawton High School) and junior forward Catherine Vecchioni (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall High School) each had 13.
Lawson’s total eclipsed her previous career-high of 11, which she scored in 2004 at Wilson College and earlier this year against Simmons College. Vecchioni notched her third double-double of the season with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Neumann cut the lead to 13 points, 66-53, with 7:20 to play before Hall scored on three consecutive possessions to give the Gators a 17-point cushion. She finished with eight points before fouling out.
Notre Dame shot 50-percent (27-of-54) from the field and was 14-of-25 (56-percent) from the floor in the second half.
Senior forward Nellie Mixon (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic High School) shared game-high honors with Cherry with 24 points. Senior forward Kirsten Patton (Odessa, Del./Padua Academy) added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights.
The Gators travel to Winchester, Va., for a 5:30 p.m. game at Shenandoah University on Tuesday, December 6, 2005.
NOTRE DAME (MD.) 81, NEUMANN 63 NEUMANN (3-3) Mixon, Nellie 10-19 3-6 24; Patton, Kristen 5-13 2-3 12; Leonard, Ashley 4-7 0-0 8; Hinkle, Kim 1-4 2-2 5; Johnansen, Lauren 2-4 0-0 4; Pearsal, Ashley 1-3 1-2 3; Faraldo, Michele 0-2 2-2 2; Webb, Linsey 1-5 0-2 2; Devine, Mary Kate 1-3 0-0 2; Brown, Syreeta 0-3 1-2 1; McNichol, Kylynn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 11-20 63. NOTRE DAME (MD.) (4-0) Cherry, Monica 6-11 9-13 24; Ordille, Kimberly 6-8 1-3 14; Lawson, Katie 4-7 5-5 13; Vecchioni, Catherine 6-11 1-2 13; Hall, Casie 3-7 2-2 8; Wassink, Faith 1-8 3-4 5; Grier, Katrina 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 27-54 23-31 81. Neumann....................... 31 32 - 63 Notre Dame (Md.).............. 43 38 - 81 3-point goals-Neumann 2-9 (Mixon, Nellie 1-3; Hinkle, Kim 1-2; Faraldo, Michele 0-1; Brown, Syreeta 0-2; McNichol, Kylynn 0-1), Notre Dame (Md.) 4-10 (Cherry, Monica 3-5; Ordille, Kimberly 1-2; Wassink, Faith 0-2; Lawson, Katie 0-1). Fouled out--Neumann-Leonard, Ashley, Notre Dame (Md.)-Hall, Casie. Rebounds-Neumann 37 (Patton, Kristen 10), Notre Dame (Md.) 37 (Vecchioni, Catherine 12). Assists-Neumann 17 (Hinkle, Kim 4; Brown, Syreeta 4), Notre Dame (Md.) 17 (Cherry, Monica 4; Ordille, Kimberly 4). Total fouls-Neumann 23, Notre Dame (Md.) 23. A-140