1/13/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College men's basketball team struggled to keep up the pace with NJCAA Division II #8 SUNY Sullivan, falling 104-66 to the hot-shooting Generals on Thursday night at the Lackawanna Student Union.
 
The Generals (10-2) scorched the nets, shooting 60% for the game, and scoring the game's first 11 points to set a pace that Lackawanna College just couldn't keep up with. Sullivan had four players in double-figures, three who scored 20+ points. Jay Alvarez led all scorers with a game-high 28 points, including four three-point shots, while Kareem Welch added 23 points on an efficient 10-for-13 shooting, and Jalen Reneau scored 21 points and gave out a team-high nine assists. All nine Generals who saw action put points on the board, as Sullivan topped 100 points for the fourth time this season.
 
The Falcons (4-8) had a pair of players in double-figures, including David Pope matching his season-high with 19 points, while Will Johnson added 12 points and five assists. Ky'Ron Harbin scored nine points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out four assists to try to give the Falcons a lift off the bench. Lackawanna shot 35% overall, but had 17 turnovers and were outrebounded 42-to-31 overall.
 
After the Generals ran off the game's first 11 points, the Falcons got on the board with a Magd Abdelwahab runner on the baseline. A David Pope triple made it 20-9, Generals, with 14:15 to go in the half, but Sullivan ran off a 15-0 run in just over two minutes, highlighted by ten straight points from Alvarez. The lead would never dip below 20 points for the rest of the game.
 
Lackawanna College went on a 9-2 run to close the last 2:30 of the first half, bringing the halftime margin to 59-37, SUNY Sullivan well in front. The Generals shot a blistering 64% in the first half, and put up 22 points on ten Falcon turnovers to give them their lead.
 
The second half started with both teams trading baskets and points, but Sullivan slowly began to pull away. The Generals' lead swelled to 30 points at 79-49 with 12:50 to play, but a 10-4 Falcons run got it to 83-59 with under nine minutes to play. Lackawanna's defense forced Sullivan to sweat a little, turning the Generals over a few times and hustling after their shot attempts. An ill-timed three minute scoreless run for Lackawanna allowed Sullivan to redouble their efforts, expanding their lead to 91-59 with under six minutes to go. The Falcons would score just seven more points the rest of the way, and both teams would suffer a scoreless run in the last 3:39 of the contest.
 
Lackawanna College gets back underway on Saturday, January 15^th, when they play host to CCBC Catonsville at the Lackawanna Student Union. The game is set for a 3:00pm ET start, and will be the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team. The game will be streamed live on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.