11/13/21
 
WBB: Lackawanna College Women's Basketball Starts Season This Weekend with Back-To-Back Games
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The #18 Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team gets their season up and running this weekend at Niagara County Community College for the Niagara County Tip-Off Classic on Saturday, November 13^th and Sunday November 14^th. The Falcons will tip off their season against Howard Community College on Saturday at 3:00pm, followed by the hosts Niagara on Sunday at 1:00pm. Every game will be streamed live by Niagara County CC.
 
About The Falcons
Last year, the Falcons went 12-6 in the pandemic-shortened 2020-2021 campaign. Despite a loss to Union County College in the Region XIX final, Lackawanna College still had a chance to play their way into the NJCAA National Tournament. The Falcons took that opportunity with a come-from-behind win over Niagara County CC to claim a district championship, clinching their spot in the NJCAA National Tournament in Hickory, NC. It was the third appearance on the national stage in five seasons for the Falcons. A first-round loss knocked the Falcons into the elimination bracket, where the Falcons were on the wrong end of a classic against Arkansas State Mid-South, 76-73 in OT, to close out the season.
 
The Falcons return All-Region selection Nya Morris, who averaged 15.3 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game, and 2.2 steals per game last year. Morris hit a team-high 33 three-point field goals, and was second on the team with 97 made field goals. Morris scored in double-figures in 16 straight games, including a season and career high 40 points against Jamestown CC on February 27^th.
 
Also returning is regular starter Daeja Cromartie, who averaged 7.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, good for second on the team. Daeja also had great game against Jamestown CC on February 27^th, scoring a season high 23 points. Cromartie also had a season high 15 rebounds against Jamestown CC a week later, and grabbed 13 rebounds in back-to-back games against Raritan Valley CC.
 
Gabrielle Jackson is a starter returning this season for Lackawanna College. Jackson averaged 9.2 points per game last season, along with 3.7 rebounds per game. Jackson scored a season-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting against Niagara County CC in the District Championship game.
 
Head Coach Joya Whittington enters her eighth season at the helm for the Falcons, winning three district championships and making three NJCAA National Tournament appearances, all within the last five seasons. Whittington is a three-time District Coach of the Year, and has won 149 games in her coaching career at Lackawanna College. Whittington is a Seton Hill University graduate, and a Carbondale, PA native, where she played for Carbondale Area HS.
 
 
Howard Community College Dragons
Howard comes into the weekend with a 2-2 record, and will be fresh off a Friday night match-up with the host Niagara County CC before they take on the Falcons on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons defeated the Chesapeake Skipjacks 61-50 at home in their last game on Wednesday night. Howard jumped out to a big first quarter lead, using a 15-point run to make it 23-9 after one. From there, the Skipjacks played catch-up the rest of the way, as Howard hit nearly 44% from the field in the first half while jumping out to a 42-21 lead at the break. Chesapeake would never get closer than the final margin, and shot a miserable 16-for-71 from the field, only hitting 4-for-21 from beyond the arc.
 
Howard, despite 32 turnovers, had 28 points off turnovers in the contest, and had two scorers in double-figures, including Kori People who had a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting. Kalani Corkeron had ten points and six rebounds to go with three blocks and a pair of steals. Jordan Dossett had eight points and eight rebounds on four-for-seven shooting. Howard won, despite shooting just 6-for-25 from the field in the second half.
 
Howard is averaging 60 points per game on the year, while giving up 58 points per game to their opponents. The Dragons are outrebounding their opponents by 6.5 rebounds per game, and are averaging ten steals per game. The Dragons are averaging 30.5 turnovers per game, and their opponents are averaging 11.5 steals per game.
 
People is the leading scorer for the Dragons this season, averaging 23.3 points per game, six rebounds per game, and three steals per game. She's hitting on 54% of her shots this season, and is 11-for-17 from beyond the arc this year. She has a season-high 34 points in a loss to Delta College, and has scored in double-figures in all four games this year. Corkeron is second on the team with 8.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. Her ten points against Chesapeake was the first time she had over double-figures. Kayla Allen is third on the team with 6.7 points per game in three games this year, all off the bench. Allen is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game. Madison Carey is the team-leader in rebounds, averaging eight per game to go with her 3.5 points per game.
 
Eryn Barnes is the head coach at Howard, after serving as the interim head coach since August of last season. Barnes, then known as Eryn Withers, had been the associate head coach at Howard since 2017, and was previously an assistant coach at Howard from 2012 through 2014. Barnes served as the assistant basketball coach at CCBC Dundalk, and was also to the Director of Basketball Operations at Louisiana Monroe. Barnes earned a Bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she was a second-team PSAC selection for IUP.
 
Niagara County Community College Thunder Wolves
Niagara County enters the weekend at 1-1 on the year. The Thunder Wolves will play against Howard CC on Friday night before taking on the Falcons on Sunday afternoon. After a dominant 103-37 win over SUNY Corning CC to open the year, the Thunder Wolves suffered a setback at Lakeland CC on Wednesday, 76-66. There were no stats or recaps available about the game against Lakeland.
 
Niagara had five players in double-figures against Corning, including Ashley Tucker's team-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Alaina Forbes had twelve points, as did Kiya Marquez. Forbes had a team-high five assists and four steals, while Marquez had four assists, to go with 60% shooting. Aichata Ballo had ten points and eight rebounds, while Gabrielle McDuffie had ten points and four rebounds to go with her team-high six steals. Makayla McCorker had a team-high twelve rebounds to go with her six points and team-high two blocks.
 
The head coach is Nate Beutel, who also serves as the NCCC SID, Athletic Scheduling Coordinator, and head softball coach. Beutel is in his tenth season in charge, and has won 203 games in his career. Beutel is a four-time Region III coach of the year, and has led the Thunder Wolves to three Region III championships. Before the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, Beutel had won 30 games in back-to-back seasons, going 61-3 in two years. The 2019-2020 season was ended before the Thunder Wolves could begin play at the NJCAA Division II tournament. Beutel is a Sanborn, NY native and earned his bachelor's degree from Medaille College.

Both contests will be streamed live by Niagara County Community College. You can watch and follow along HERE.