1/13/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Men's Basketball team, after games against nationally-ranked Cecil and Harcum Colleges, is set to take on their third straight ranked opponent, when they host the NJCAA Division II #8 SUNY Sullivan County Generals on Thursday night at the Lackawanna Student Union. The game is set for a 7:00pm ET tip-off, and will be streamed live on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (4-7), still missing a handful of key rotation players, played earlier this week against the NJCAA Division I #8 Harcum College Bears, dropping the road contest 133-74. Harcum shot a blistering 60% for the game, including 19 three-point shots on 54% shooting. Harcum put ten different players in double-figures, and had 36 assists to just 11 turnovers for the game. Lackawanna College couldn't keep pace, shooting 34% for the game. The Falcons were led by David Pope, who had a season-high 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including three triples. Brandon Scott had a breakout game, getting his first start of the season and scoring a season-high 16 points for the Falcons on 7-for-14 shooting. Will Johnson came off the bench and scored 11 points, while dishing out a team-high four assists.
 
Jaylen Davis is the team-leader in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game so far this year, along with 9.3 rebounds per game, also first on the team. "JD" has scored in double-figures in eight of nine games this year, going over 20+ points three times, and scoring a season-high 25 points against PSU-Hazleton on opening night. Davis's 16 rebounds against Morris was a season-high, giving him his third double-double of the season. Davis is shooting 54.3% from the field on the year, and averages 1.8 assists per game, along with 1.6 blocks per game this year.
 
Will Johnson has emerged as the second-leading scorer this year, averaging 10.7 points per game. Johnson has scored in double-figures in his last six games, including back-to-back games of 20+ points. He had a season-high 21 against Raritan Valley in December, then followed it up with 20 points, on 6-for-11 shooting against Ulster on December 11^th. Johnson leads the Falcons with 3.6 assists per game this season, and is the team-leader in steals with nine takeaways this year. David Pope is third on the team with 10.2 points per game on the year. Pope is hitting around 42% of his shots this year, and leads the Falcons with 17 made three-pointers. Pope is among the Lackawanna leaders in FT% this year at 79%, and has scored in double-figures five times this year, including his season-high 19 points vs. Harcum. Pope hit a season-high four three-pointers against Cecil, his first start of the season. In his last two games, both starts, Pope is averaging 17.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and shooting 41% from the field.
 
Daryl Coleman is fourth on the team in scoring, with 9.3 points per game this season. Coleman is also averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, and is the team's second-best three-point threat, hitting 16 threes this year. Coleman has scored in double-figures four times this season, including a season-high 20 points against Mercer County CC. Coleman put up ten points and six rebounds, along with three assists, against Morris last month, but was 0-for-6 from downtown.
 
Ahmir Ellzy is fifth on the team with 8.8 points per game this season. Ellzy, an All-Region selection from last year, had 13 points and a season-high seven rebounds against Morris last month. Ellzy has hit double-figures four times this year, and leads the Falcons in steal with eight on the season. Ellzy is second on the team with 2.8 assists per game this season.
 
Magd Abdelwahab will also see time for the Falcons, averaging 7.5 points per game this year. Magd has hit double-figures three times this year, including his season-high 23 points against Niagara County CC earlier this season. Magd is hitting 35% of his shots this year, and is third on the team with 2.5 assists per game.
 
Gabe Springer is second on the Falcons with 8.1 rebounds per game, and is averaging just shy of six points per game (5.7), while also leading the team in blocks (18) this season. Gabe had a career-best 14-point, 19-rebound, 4-block performance against Erie earlier this year. Springer rejected six shots, a season-best, against Ulster, while pulling down 12 rebounds against the Senators. His 13-point performance against Morris was just the second time he scored in double-figures this year.  
 
Lackawanna College, averaging around 77 points per game as a team, is shooting at 40.4% as a team this season, and are shooting 28.1% from beyond-the-arc. Lackawanna is also shooting 64% from the free-throw line. Lackawanna College holds a +5 rebounding margin, and has 57 blocks as a team. The Falcons are holding their opponents to 42.9% shooting so far this year, and teams have hit 30% of their three-point attempts against the Lackawanna College defense. Prior to the game against Harcum, the Falcons were ranked 9^th in the NJCAA in 3PT% defense. Falcon opponents are scoring around 85 points per game this year.
 
Coach Landon Gabriel is in his second season as the head coach for Lackawanna College. Coach Gabriel was hired in 2020 to lead the Falcons program, and rebuild them into a contender. Gabriel spent the previous eleven years coaching at his alma mater, Carbondale Area, where he helped the Chargers boys basketball team to numerous PIAA District II playoff appearances. Gabriel is a King's College graduate, where he played basketball for the Monarchs.
 
About the Opponents
The SUNY Sullivan Generals come into the contest with the Falcons at 9-2 overall, and holding the #8 ranking in the latest NJCAA Division II polls. The Generals have not played a game since their 97-63 win over Monroe Community College on December 12^th. Sullivan, which led wire-to-wire, shot 59% for the game, including 60.7% in the second half, while placing six different players in double-figures, to coast past the Tribunes. Kareem Welch led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, while pulling down ten rebounds and dishing out six assists. Jalen Reneau and Sam DeSousa added 15 points, apiece, with Reneau adding five assists and DeSousa going 5-for-6 from the FT line.
 
The Generals average 90.9 points per game, and have scored over 100 points twice this season, with a season-high 119 coming against SUNY Ulster. Sullivan is only giving up around 66 points per game on the year. The Generals shoot an impressive 47% this season, while their opponents are hitting around 40% from the field on the year. Sullivan shoots around 32% from deep, and owns an impressive +15 rebounding margin on the year. The Generals average 10.3 steals per game, and just shy of five blocks per contest.  
 
Sullivan has six players averaging double-figures on the year, led by Kareem Welch, who averages 20 points per contest, on 57% shooting, including nearly 47% from downtown. Welch is first on the team in steals (2.2), second in assists (3.9), and third in rebounding (5.8). Welch has hit double-figures nine times this season, and has gone for over 20 points on six different occasions. Welch's season-high was a 31-point performance against Prince George's County CC, where he went 14-for-16 from the free throw line. Welch's season high for field goals came against Ulster, where he hit ten shots, and he's had a season-high four three-point shots in back-to-back games earlier this year against Raritan and Mercer. Welch was averaging 25.5 points per game in his last four contests, prior to the long lay-off. His ten rebounds against Monroe CC is his season-high, and was also his first double-double of the year.
 
Jarell White is second on the team with a 16.4 points per game average. White is averaging 60% from the field on the year, and is the team-leader at 9.9 rebounds per game this year. He also leads the Generals in blocks, with a 1.3 per game average. He scored in double-figures in all nine of his appearances, including a season-high 24 points against Raritan Valley earlier this year, where he also hit a season-high for rebounds with 16. White has five double-doubles on the year. White missed the last two games against Howard CC and Monroe CC before the holiday break.
 
Jalen Reneau is third on the team at 11.8 points per game this year. Reneau is shooting 41% overall on the year, and leads the Generals with 5.5 assists per game. Reneau is also second on the team in steals at 1.6 per game this year. Reneau has scored in double-figures seven times this season, including his season-high 25 points against SUNY Rockland, where he made a season-best ten shots from the field. He had a season-best ten assists against SUNY Orange, and has dished out 5+ assists in eight different games this year.
 
Jay Alvarez and Sam DeSousa are fourth and fifth on the team at 10.7 points per game, each, this year. Alvarez shoots 42% from the field, and is second on the team in 3PT FG% at 37.7%, and is tied for second on the team at 1.6 steals per contest. Alvarez has scored in double-figures six different times this year, including his last four games. Alvarez had a season-high 22 points against SUNY Orange, where he made a season-high eight field goals, and hit six three-pointers against the Colts. He's got one double-double on the year, coming against Hagerstown where he pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds. Alvarez had 12 points and six rebounds against Monroe CC. DeSousa is shooting 47% from the field on the year, and is second on the team with 6.7 rebounds per game this year. DeSousa has scored in double-figures six times this year, with the season-high of 21 points coming against Prince George's, where he hit eight field goals. DeSousa has two double-doubles on the year, and had a season-high 12 rebounds against SUNY Ulster.
 
The head coach for SUNY Sullivan is Brent Wilson, entering his ninth overall year, and eighth season in charge with the Generals. Wilson's teams have had success from the moment he stepped on campus. The Generals have won 20+ games in every season under Wilson, including a 28-2 record in the 2019-2020 season, where they finished with a #2 ranking in the NJCAA Division II polls, and qualified for the DII National Championships. Wilson has won multiple Region XV championships, produced five All-Americans, and sent 30 players onto four-year institutions. Wilson, a thousand-point scorer in his time at the University of Albany, spent time on the bench for the Great Danes as an assistant, as well as an assistant at North Dakota before his time at SUNY Sullivan. Wilson has an impressive 178-46 record in his time at SUNY Sullivan.
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 7:00pm tip-off at the Lackawanna Student Union in Scranton, PA. The game is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased at the door for students ($3) and adults ($5). Lackawanna College students can get in for free by showing their student IDs.
 
The Lackawanna College Spectator Policy can be viewed HERE.  For those who cannot attend, the game will be video livestreamed at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.  Steve Young will provide the play-by-play, and Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.