11/22/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College men's basketball team sits at 4-1 on the year, and will look to build off of last week's comeback win when they open their home schedule and Region XIX competition against Essex County College on Tuesday, November 22^nd, inside the Lackawanna Student Union gymnasium.
 
The game is set for a 7:00pm ET tip-off inside the Student Union gym, and will be the second game of a Region XIX doubleheader, with the women's teams competing first at 5:00pm ET. The games are open to the public, and will have tickets sold at the door for both students ($3) and adults ($5). Both games will have individual video livestreams available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE, for a fee. Steve Young will serve as play-by-play, and Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (4-1) won its last game, an 85-82 decision on the road at SUNY Rockland CC last Tuesday. The Falcons led for a majority of the first half, holding an eleven-point lead at one point, only for the Hawks to close the half on a run and take a slim halftime advantage. In the second half, the Falcons once again held a lead for the majority of play, leading by as many as seven points, only for the Hawks to once again come back, this time to take a six-point lead at 81-75 late in the game. Lackawanna College rallied with a stunning 10-1 run to pull out the win. Five players scored in double-figures, including Nasir Brown, who led the Falcons with 23 points and five rebounds, shooting 9-for-21 from the field. Caleb Mims had 16 points, while Nashawn Johnson added 14 points and ten rebounds in his first start of the season. Malek Mims had 12 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while Aamir Mack came off the bench to score 12 points and grab seven rebounds.
 
The Falcons are averaging 77.6 points per game this season, allowing 71.4 points per game on the year. The Falcons are shooting 42% from the field, but have struggled from deep, hitting just 26%. Lackawanna gets to the free throw line a lot, having made almost as many free throws as a team (100) as their opponents have attempted this year (105). Lackawanna is shooting 63% from the free throw line. The Falcons average 40 rebounds per game, a +1.4 average, and they have forced an average of 20 turnovers per game, with just under ten steals per contest for the Falcon defense. Opponents are shooting 39% from the field this season, and have hit 28% of their three-point attempts.  
 
Nasir Brown (Wilmington, DE) leads the Falcons in scoring at 17.4 points per game on the season. He's second on the team in rebounding (5.8) and leads the team in 3PT FGs made (9). Brown is second on the team in FT% (72%). He's hit double-figures in four of the first five games, including twice scoring his season-high of 23 points. Against Rockland, Brown hit a season-high nine shots from the field to score 23, while pulling down five rebounds, posting a pair of assists, and two steals in the win for the Falcons.
 
Malek Mims (Bethlehem, PA) is second on the team with 12.2 points per game this season. Mims leads the Falcons in steals (14), and averages 3.8 rebounds per game from his point guard spot. Mims has hit on 41% of his shots this season, and leads the team in assists (14). Mims has scored in double-figures three times this season, going for his season-best 20 points against Dundalk. In that game, he went 7-for-10 from the field, while pulling down six boards and compiling six steals. Against Rockland, Mims posted 12 points and had a season-high eight assists against the Hawks.  
 
Aamir Mack (Atlantic City, NJ) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game. Mack averages just shy of five rebounds per game, and hits around 46% of his shots from the field. Mack is the team-leader in FT%, hitting 72.2% from the charity stripe this year. Mack has hit for double-figures in points three times this season, going for his season-high of 17 points in the opening contest against CCBC Catonsville. His best rebounding output was his seven boards against Baltimore City CC. Mack had 12 points and seven rebounds coming off the bench for the Falcons, shooting 5-for-11 from the field.
 
Caleb Mims (Bethlehem, PA) is fourth on the team at 9.4 points per game this year. Mims is second on the team in assists (12 in five games), and averages 3.4 rebounds per game. Mims shoots just 32% from the field, but leads the Falcons in made free throw shots (24) and shoots 67% overall from the line. Mims has scored in double-figures twice this year, and went for his season-high 16 points against SUNY Rockland. Mims had a season-best five assists in the win, and hit a season-high four shots from the field, while going 7-for-12 from the free throw line.  
 
Nashawn Johnson is averaging 7.6 points per game this year, and has been mostly the sixth man for the Falcons before starting in his last game. He's first on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game, and is 13-for-26 from the field so far this season. Johnson scored his season-high with 14 points in the win over Rockland, pulling down ten rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Johnson was an efficient 5-for-7 from the field. Johnson is one of the few Falcons who played against Essex last year, scoring a combined 13 points in two games, while pulling down six rebounds and five assists against the Wolverines.   
 
Rahmad Ali (Newark, NJ) is averaging six points per game this season, while also pulling down just shy of five rebounds per game, third on the team. Ali is tied with Caleb Mims for second on the team, with 12 assists in five games, and is third on the team in steals (6). Ali is shooting around 43% from the field this year. Ali had his best game in the win over Baltimore City, going for a season-best 12 points while pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out five assists in the win. Rahmad was held in check against Rockland, scoring three points and pulling down three rebounds in the win.
 
Niare Poplar (Philadelphia, PA) has so far been one of the better bench players for the Falcons this year, averaging 5.2 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per contest in his five appearances. Poplar is the most accurate shooter on the team, hitting 55% of his shots, and going 3-for-7 from three in his first five games. Poplar had ten points and four rebounds in the win over Dundalk, his season-high for points. Poplar did not score in just two minutes of action against Rockland last week.  
 
In his third season in charge, Landon Gabriel returns to the sidelines to lead the Falcons. Gabriel, who spent ten seasons coaching at Carbondale Area HS in the rough and tumble Lackawanna League, feels like this can be a season of positive momentum for the Falcons, where, now with his first true recruiting class, he can really implement the high-tempo defense and energy he wants to see from his squad. Gabriel is a King's College graduate, where he played for the Monarchs, after graduating from Carbondale Area HS before that.
 
About the Opponents
The Wolverines (3-3, 1-0) have a win in Region XIX, taking a 75-65 decision over Mercer on the road in their last game back on November 17^th. Essex shot 51% from the field, and put four players in double-figures to come away with the win. The Wolverines overcame 19 turnovers, and were led by Andrew Sylvestre, who came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points, going 10-for-18 from the floor and hitting a pair of three-pointers. Jaheim Lewis had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Pascal Dodard added 13 points and Koi Kirk, Jr. had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Essex and Lackawanna share just one common opponent so far this year, losing 80-57 to SUNY Sullivan on the road on November 5^th. The Wolverines are averaging just shy of 70 points per game, while giving up slightly above 70 per contest. They're relatively even in most categories including shooting percentage (39% for vs. 43% against), rebounding (even margin at 36 per game), steals (7.2 for vs. 6.7 against) and blocks (2.5 vs. 3.0). Opponents are averaging 14 assists per game, while Essex is at 8.5, and the Wolverines average over 19 turnovers per game, four more than their opponents this season.
 
Kirk Jr. leads the Wolverines in scoring, putting up 18 points per game on the year. Kirk averages 44% from the field, and is an efficient free throw shooter at 72% on the year. Kirk Jr. is averaging a double-double, pulling down 12.8 rebounds per contest. Kirk leads the team in assists (3.0 per game) and is second on the team in steals (1.6 per game). Kirk has scored in double-figures in all six games, and has a double-double in five of them. Kirk's best game might have been a 15-point, 15-rebound performance in a 70-58 win over Bunker Hill CC. The 15 rebounds were a season-high for him. His season-high is 24 points in an 81-77 win over Monroe CC. Kirk Jr. had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Mercer County.
 
Jaheim Lewis, back from last season, is second on the team with 15.8 points per game this year. Lewis leads the team in shooting (57%) and is hitting 26% from downtown this year. He's also a 64% free throw shooter on the season. Lewis averages 5.2 rebounds per game for the Wolverines. He's hit double-figures in five of six games this season, with a season-high 23 points coming in the win over Bunker Hill, where he had 23 on 8-for-11 from the field, while pulling down seven rebounds. Lewis had 17 points, a season-best eight rebounds, and two assists in the win over Mercer. In two games against Lackawanna last year, Lewis had 21 points and 13 rebounds, including a 13-point performance on the road at Lackawanna last November.  
 
Pascal Dodard, another returner, is third on the team at 15 points per game this year. Dodard is shooting 35% from the field, and is second on the team at 72.7% from the free throw line. Dodard averages 2.6 steals per game, tops on the Wolverine squad, and averages 1.6 assists per contest, second on the team. Dodard has scored in double-figures in all six games this season, scoring a season-high 20 points in the loss to Sullivan, where he hit four three-pointers and had three steals in the loss. Against Mercer, Dodard had 13 points and two rebounds. Pascal had a combined 29 points, 13 assists, and six steals in two games against the Falcons last year, including 16 points in the loss at Lackawanna in November last season.
 
Michael Isaac, another returner from last season, has only played in one game, a 66-62 loss to Northern Essex. He had nine points and a rebound in the loss. Isaac did not play against Mercer County, and had a combined 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists in two games against the Falcons last season.
 
Kevin Butler Jr. averages 6.2 points per game this year, and is shooting around 57% from the field. Butler averages around 2.8 rebounds per game, and just under one steal per contest. Butler has scored in double-figures twice this season, including his season-high of 13 points in the loss to Sullivan. Against Mercer, Butler did not score.  
 
The head coach for Essex County College is Bobbie Morgan, currently in his fifth full-season and sixth year overall at Essex. Morgan took over in November 2017, just before the start of the season, helping to try to rebuild a team that, just the season prior, finished 7^th in the national tournament with a 32-2 record. After a rough first year, the Wolverines improved by 11 wins in Morgan's second season, and then made another jump in the 2019-2020 season, going 20-7 and capturing the Region XIX title, while qualifying for the NJCAA DII National tournament, before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season prematurely. Morgan is 44-50 in his career at Essex County College.
 
Game Information
The game is set for a 7:00pm ET tip-off inside the Student Union gym, and will be the second game of a Region XIX doubleheader, with the women's teams competing first at 5:00pm ET. The games are open to the public, and will have tickets sold at the door for both students ($3) and adults ($5). Both games will have individual video livestreams available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE, for a fee. Steve Young will serve as play-by-play, and Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.
 
After the Thanksgiving holiday, the Falcons get back to work with another home Region XIX contest, hosting Delaware Tech CC on Tuesday, November 29^th inside the historic Lackawanna Student Union gymnasium.