1/11/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team couldn't hold on to a late lead, as the NJCAA DIII #4 Monroe College Express hit a game-tying three with six seconds to go, then got a steal and hit a lay-up as time expired to escape with a 63-61 win on Tuesday night at the Lackawanna Student Union.
 
The Falcons (5-5) led 61-58 with just over ten seconds remaining in the contest, when the Express (10-1) inbounded and found Nyeria Spady, who launched a three from the top of the key that splashed through the net with 6.1 seconds remaining. Monroe put pressure on the Lackawanna guards, forcing a turnover at half-court when Tariah Bryant intercepted a pass, who then raced to the basket and scored a lay-up as time expired, giving the Express a win in their first game since December 10^th, and denying the Falcons their upset bid.
 
Lackawanna College was led by Gabrielle Jackson and Ny Jackson, who had 14 and 13 points, respectively. Lackawanna College shot 30% for the game, and outrebounded Monroe 49-to-38, including 18 offensive rebounds. Daeja Cromartie had a game and season-high 20 rebounds, while Ashanté Amos had a game-high seven assists. The Falcons outscored the Express 25-to-12 on the bench. Monroe was led by Spady, who led all scorers with 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Taina Maldonado had 11 points off the bench, including three triples, while Tariah Bryant had 10 points and a team-high four assists. The Express shot 34% for the game, and hit 14-of-19 free throws, 74% from the charity stripe. As a team, they came into the contest shooting under 40% from the line.
 
Lackawanna College had the advantage in the first half, breaking open a 12-12 game in the first quarter with a 16-6 run that spilled into the second. It was sparked by back-to-back threes from Ashanté Amos and Ny Jackson, and ended with a three-point shot from McKeyah Duley, leaving the Falcons on top at 28-18 with 5:49 to go in the half. The lead ballooned to 37-24 with 16 seconds to play in the half, and was a 37-26 margin for the Falcons at halftime. The Falcons shot 37% in the first half, knocking down five three-point shots in the half. Meanwhile, Monroe shot just 27% in the first half, and was 2-for-10 from downtown.
 
The second half went just the opposite, as the Express came out in the third quarter and re-established themselves on defense, stymieing the Lackawanna attack and feeding their offensive attack, whittling the margin down to 43-39 with 5:19 to play in the third, powered by three straight Spady jumpers. After a Cianna Roberts runner pushed the Falcon lead to 47-42 at the 1:22 mark of the third, a Taina Maldonado three answered for the Express, making it 47-45 heading into the final frame.
 
The fourth quarter started promisingly for the Express, as Maldonado banged home a three to make it 48-47, giving the Express their first lead since 12-10 in the first quarter. The Falcons went scoreless for the first four minutes and 15 seconds of the quarter, but Monroe could only put another three points on the board to make it 51-47 with under six minutes to play. Lackawanna broke their scoreless streak when Gabrielle Jackson hit a baseline runner to make it 51-49 with 5:45 to go, and Ashanté Amos hit a go-ahead three to make it 52-51, all part of a 9-0 Falcon run, making it 56-51, Falcons, with under a minute to play. The Express, in the midst of a five-minute scoreless drought, got a free throw to make it 56-52 with 41 seconds remaining.
 
After a pair of free throws made it 56-54, Jay Lewis stepped to the line for the Falcons with 21 seconds remaining. Lewis sank her first free throw, and missed her second attempt short. The shot ricocheted off the rim and landed in Thays Torres's hands. Torres went back up with it, but missed, only for Daeja Cromartie to grab the rebound, save it from going out of bounds, and have the deflected pass find Lewis, who scored in the lane with 15.6 to play, making it 59-54 Falcons.
 
On the subsequent possession, Spady grabbed the inbounds pass and was fouled in the act of shooting from deep, nailing her three-point attempt. She completed the four-point play to make it 59-58 with 12.9 to go. Gabrielle Jackson sank two free throws on the other end to make it 61-58 Falcons with 11.8 seconds remaining, setting the stage for the thrilling final 12 seconds.
 
Lackawanna College shot 23% in the second half, shot 2-for-14 from downtown, and went 6-for-15 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Monroe College shot 39% from the field, and hit five threes of their own in the second half.
 
The Falcons get back to work on Saturday, January 15^th, when they play host to CCBC Essex, the #7 NJCAA Division II team in the nation. The game is set for a 1:00pm ET start, and is the first game of a double-header on Saturday afternoon with the men's game against CCBC Catonsville to follow at 3:00pm ET. Both games will be streamed live on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.