12/8/22

NORTH BRANCH, NJ -- Lackawanna College overcame multiple deficits, including closing a six-point gap with a minute to go, but the Falcons just couldn't get the final bucket to get themselves over the hump, falling on the road at Raritan Valley, 82-80, on Tuesday night.
 
The Falcons (7-3, 2-2) trailed by as many as 13 halfway through the first half, then by eight at halftime, before clawing back to take a slim 61-60 lead on a Julian Wilson (Williamsport, PA) lay-up with eight minutes to play. Raritan Valley (8-4, 3-1) had other ideas, however, immediately taking the lead back on the very next possession, then holding onto a slim margin, despite another Falcon tie at 66-all, through the rest of the game.
 
Raritan held an eight-point lead with under a minute to go at 79-71, but the Falcons had one last surge. It started with a Malek Mims (Bethlehem, PA) drive to the basket where he scored and was fouled. Mims missed his free throw, but the Falcons forced a walk just past midcourt to get the ball back. A scramble for a loose ball on the following possession ended when Rahmad Ali (Newark, NJ) grabbed the ball, drove across the lane, and calmly sank a 15-foot fall-away jumper to make it 79-75 with 29 seconds to go. A pair of Raritan free throws, followed by a Falcon turnover on the other end, gave the Lions the ball and, presumably, the game, at 81-75 with 22 seconds to play. But full court pressure from Lackawanna resulted in a turnover, and the Falcons quickly turned that into a lay-up with 16 seconds to go. The Lions missed two free throws, and the Falcons got a big three-point shot from Rahmad Ali to cut it to 81-80 with seven seconds to go. Raritan went 1-for-2 from the line, and the Falcons had a shot to win, but Malek Mims' desperation attempt hit the rim and bounced away, giving Raritan the close win and denying the Falcons the upset.
 
Nasir Brown (Wilmington, DE) and Rahmad Ali led the Falcons with 15 points, apiece. Malek Mims added 13 points and five rebounds, while Nashawn Johnson (Bronx, NY) added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. All nine Falcon players who saw time, scored. The Falcons shot 39% overall, and were 41% after halftime, while knocking down six three-pointers in the second half. The Falcons didn't get any points off turnovers, and had a season-low combined two steals.
 
Lackawanna College is back in action on Saturday, December 10^th, when they travel to Stone Ridge, NY to take on SUNY Ulster in non-region action. That game is set for a 1:00pm ET start.