11/4/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Men's Basketball team got off to the right start in their 2021-2022 campaign, getting 25 points from Jaylen Davis while holding their opponents to 31% shooting en route to a 72-61 win over Penn State Hazleton on Thursday night at the Lackawanna Student Union.
 
The Falcons (1-0) and the Nittany Lions traded blow back and forth in the opening ten minutes, with Jaylen Davis scoring the first seven points for the Falcons, who led 9-2 after the first four minutes.
 
The Nittany Lions (0-1) would rally back, ratcheting up their defensive pressure and knocking down some three-point jumpers. The Falcons went scoreless for 4:14, and Penn State tied things at 16-all with 8:39 to play in the first half.
 
Leading 18-16 with 7:40 in the first half, and with things wavering slightly, the Falcons inbounded underneath their own basket. Jaylen Davis rifled a pass to the top of the key to David Pope, who swung a pass to Magd Abdelwahad, who then quickly dumped it to Davis on the baseline. Davis turned in one fluid motion and rammed the ball through with a one-handed dunk, igniting the crowd and waking both teams up.
 
The Falcons pushed the lead to 25-16 with six minutes to go in the half, but the Nittany Lions closed the gap again, ending the half on an 11-6 run the make it 31-27 Falcons at the break.
 
Neither team shot well in the first half, combining to shoot 23-of-73 (32%) and just 6-of-24 (33.3%) from beyond the arc. The Falcons had 12 first half turnovers, which resulted in eight steals for Penn State Hazleton.
 
The second half started poorly for the Falcons, and Hazleton was within a point at 33-32 just three minutes in, when Jaylen Davis found a cutting Gabe Springer for the hoop and the harm, giving Lackawanna College a boost. 
 
That bucket sparked a 15-4 run for the Falcons, highlighted by three three-point shots from Daryl Coleman, giving the Falcons a 46-36 lead with 14 minutes to play.
 
The Nittany Lions would fight back once again, cutting the lead to 46-41, before an Abdelwahad three-pointer put the Falcons back up 49-41 with 13:19 to play.
 
The Falcons would extend the lead to double-digits at 53-42 with 12:06 to play when a David Pope three ricocheted off the rim, only to land in the waiting arms of Nashawn Johnson, who leapt up to find a cutting Pope in the lane, there to flush a dunk home with two hands.
 
Lackawanna College got the lead as high as 14 before Penn State Hazleton closed the gap back to eight with seven minutes to play. Another Abdelwahad triple lengthened the lead to double-digits again, and the Falcons would hold serve from there, seeing out their first win of the new season.
 
Penn State Hazleton shot just 31% for the game, and was 5-for-30 from downtown. The Falcon pressure on the perimeter was a big reason why, and a pair of blocks each from Davis and Coleman helped the cause.
 
Lackawanna College shot 50% from the field in the second half, and finished at 41.5% for the game. The Falcons were 10-for-12 form the free throw line for the game.
 
Jaylen Davis led all scorers with 25 points and 15 rebounds, shooting an efficient 9-for-14 from the field. Davis also had four assists to go with his two blocks. Daryl Coleman had 11 points and nine rebounds, and hit a team-high three three-point shots. Will Johnson and David Pope each finished with nine points, apiece. Magd Abdelwahad came off the bench and scored six points, while dishing out a team-high five assists.
 
Lackawanna College is back on the court on Wednesday, November 10^th when they travel to Dobbs Ferry, NY to take on Mercy College. Tipoff for that game is set for 7:00pm ET.