Box Score Branchburg, NJ – Coming off two straight wins to start the New Year, the Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team was once again on the road to face a Region XIX opponent.  On Tuesday night, the Lady Falcons traveled to Branchburg, NJ to face Raritan Valley Community College.  This was the 2^nd time the two teams faced each other this season, with Lackawanna winning the 1^st matchup in Scranton, 83-55.  The Lady Falcons were hoping to come away with their 11^th win of the year and maintain sole possession of 2^nd place in the Region XIX standings.

Raritan Valley opened the game in a zone but Lackawanna quickly took advantage of it by hitting a 3-pointer, followed by a bucket in the paint.  Ciaira Loyd also took advantage of the zone and converted another Lady Falcons' 3, to push the lead to 8-4. She continued her hot shooting streak by connecting on another 3-pointer and Briaunna McCullough would do the same, to take a 10-point lead, 16-6.  Raritan Valley got two baskets to trim the lead to 16-10, but McCullough hit another 3, followed by a Kyla Smith 3 to take a 22-10 lead, with 4 minutes left in the 1^st quarter.  A 3-pointer by Ciaira Loyd forced Raritan to take a timeout, with Lackawanna holding its largest lead of the game so far, 25-10.  After the timeout Miliesha Troche came off the bench and showed why she is ranked as one of the top 3-point shooters in the NJCAA, by hitting her first 3-point attempt.  She followed that up by being fouled on her next 3-point attempt, where she connected on all 3 free throw attempts, to give the Lady Falcons a 31-12 advantage.  The quarter would end with the Lady Falcons enjoying a 39-14 lead.

The 2^nd quarter started with Kiana Williams converting from under the basket.  Raritan Valley answered with a 3 of their own, and followed that with a short jumper to cut the lead to 41-19.  However, on the next possession, Jamie Brann hit a 3-pointer to stop the Raritan Valley momentum and increase the lead to 44-19.  Raritan regained their momentum and scored 5 straight points, but once again the Lady Falcons found their composure to take a 48-24 advantage.  With Raritan Valley switching from a zone to man-to-man, the Lady Falcons worked the ball down low and extended their lead to 26, 54-28.   As the horn sounded for halftime, Lackawanna would take a 57-31 lead into the locker room. 

Raritan Valley came out of the locker room and connected on 2 layups to start the 3^rd quarter.  Ciaira Loyd answered with a jumper from the foul line, but Raritan Valley marched down and hit two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 20.  To answer, the Lady Falcons began getting the ball to Keyanah Price down low, where she was able to put the ball in the basket, while Briaunna McCullough converted 2 free throws and a fast break layup, to give Lackawanna a 67-46 lead. The Lady Falcons defense began to slow Raritan Valley down and they were able to take advantage of a number of fast break opportunities, pushing their lead back to 30, 75-45.  Lackawanna continued to pound the ball down low which also opened up 3-point opportunities, with Ciara Loyd taking full advantage of it.  The Lady Falcons would end the 3^rd quarter with an 84-50 advantage. 

The beginning of the 4^th quarter saw Kyla Smith create a turnover and score on a fast break layup.  While Raritan Valley had some scoring opportunities, Lackawanna was able to grab defensive rebounds and score on the other end.  They continued to get the ball down low to Keyanah Price, which gave them their largest lead of the game, 90-53.  Both teams would exchange baskets for the next few minutes, but Lackawanna still held a 96-64 lead, with 2 minutes left in the game.  A layup by Kyla Smith helped the Lady Falcons reach the century mark for the 3^rd time this season and the game would end with Lackawanna earning their 11^th win of the season, 101-69.

With the win, Lackawanna moves to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in Region XIX play.  The Lady Falcons were led by Briaunna McCullough with 28 points, followed by Ciaira Loyd with 19, with 12 of those points coming from her four 3-pointers.  Loyd also dished out a game high 9 assists, while Keyanah Price added 15 points and dominated the boards with 15 rebounds.  Kyla Smith also contributed with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.  Lackawanna will finally be at home on Saturday, January 18^th when they will welcome ASA College (NY) to the Historic Student Union.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00pm.