2/1/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Men's Basketball team gets back into Region XIX play on Tuesday, February 1^st, when they travel to take on NJCAA DII #20 ranked Raritan Valley CC in Branchburg, NJ. The game is set for a 7:00pm ET start, and will be the second game of a doubleheader with the women's teams. It's a rematch from earlier this year, when Raritan came to Scranton and grabbed a 92-81 win over the Falcons. Will Johnson led the Falcons with his season-high 21 points, but Lackawanna could not keep up with the Lions, who scored 55 points in the second half to pull away. Read the recap HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (5-10, 3-3) were last in action this past Thursday, when they hosted the #11 SUNY Orange Colts in a non-conference match-up. The Falcons overcame a double-digit deficit to take an eight-point plead with six minutes to play, but SUNY Orange picked itself off the mat and fought back, eventually pulling away with some big plays to escape with the win, 84-77. Jaylen Davis, back in action for the first time in the spring semester, scored a team-high 19 points and ten rebounds, while David Pope added 18 points and hit three triples. Daryl Coleman also returned to action, scoring 16 points off the bench, and Will Johnson added 14 points and seven assists. Read the recap HERE.
 
Jaylen Davis is the team-leader in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game so far this year, along with 9.4 rebounds per game, also first on the team. "JD" has scored in double-figures in 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, and he now has four double-doubles this year. Davis is shooting 54.2% from the field on the year, and averages 1.6 assists per game, along with 1.5 blocks per game this year. Davis had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Raritan Valley earlier this year.
 
Will Johnson is the second-leading scorer this year, averaging 11.9 points per game. Johnson has scored in double-figures in his last ten 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 3.7 assists per game this season, and also leads the Falcons with 13 steals this year. Johnson is the team leader in free throw shooting, hitting 77% from the charity stripe this season. On top of his 21 points, Johnson also had five assists and two steals against Raritan earlier this year.
 
David Pope is third on the team with 11.2 points per game on the year. Pope, who has started for the Falcons in his last six games, is hitting around 41% of his shots this year, and leads the Falcons with 23 made three-pointers. Pope is second on the Falcons from the free throw line, hitting 76.7% from the line, and has scored in double-figures eight times this year, including his season-high 19 points twice now, against Harcum and SUNY Sullivan. Pope hit a season-high four three-pointers against Cecil, his first start of the season. In his last six games, all starts, Pope is averaging 15.2 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and shooting 41% from the field, while knocking down 13 three-pointers. Pope, battling foul trouble, had just four points and five rebounds against Raritan Valley earlier this year.
 
Daryl Coleman is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging an even ten points per game this season. Coleman is also averaging 5.3 rebounds per game, and is the team's second-best three-point threat, hitting 18 threes this year. Coleman has scored in double-figures five times this season, including a season-high 20 points against Mercer County CC. Coleman struggled against Raritan earlier this year, going 2-for-8 from the field and scoring just six points, but he had four assists for the Falcons.  
 
Magd Abdelwahab is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.6 points per game this year. Magd has hit double-figures four times this year, including his season-high 23 points against Niagara County CC earlier this season. Magd is hitting 36% of his shots this year, is third on the team with 15 made three-pointers, and is also second on the team with 2.8 assists per game. Magd scored 21 points against Catonsville, including 15 in the second half. At one point, Magd scored 10 straight points for the Falcons to get them back into the game. Magd did not see action against SUNY Orange, and had four points against Raritan Valley earlier this season.  
 
Ahmir Ellzy is averaging 7.2 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. Ellzy is third on the team with 2.5 assists per game this season. Ellzy returned to action against Catonsville for the first time in three games, scoring three points and pulling down three rebounds off the bench. Ellzy had two points, two rebounds, and two assists against SUNY Orange. He had 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Raritan Valley earlier this year.
 
Gabe Springer is second on the Falcons with 7.9 rebounds per game, and is averaging 6.2 points per game, while also leading the team in blocks (19) this season. Before his 16-point performance against Mercer, his career-best was a 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. The 16 points against Mercer gave Gabe his third game in double-figures this season. Springer managed seven points and nine rebounds against SUNY Orange. He was held scoreless in 15 minutes against Raritan Valley earlier this year, but did manage nine rebounds.  
 
Brandon Scott is averaging 6.6 points per game in his nine appearances this year. He's an efficient 50% from the field, and is also averaging 3.6 rebounds per game. Scott's 13 points against Mercer was the second time he's scored in double-digits this season. He had a season-high 16 points against Harcum College. Scott got the start against SUNY Orange, but had just one point and a pair of assists against the Colts. He did not see action against Raritan Valley.  
 
Nashawn Johnson, who was also an All-Region selection last year, is averaging 4.9 points per game this season. Johnson has seen his role increase with absences from some other players in recent games, and had his season breakout game against Mercer, where he scored a season-high 12 points. He did not score against SUNY Orange, but did score six points and had a pair of rebounds against Raritan Valley.
 
Lackawanna College, averaging around 75.6 points per game as a team, is shooting at 40.7% as a team this season, and is shooting 26.4% from beyond-the-arc. Lackawanna is also shooting 67% from the free-throw line. Lackawanna College holds a +6 rebounding margin, and has 66 blocks as a team. The Falcons are allowing their opponents to shoot 44.5% from the field so far this year, and teams have hit 31.9% of their three-point attempts against the Lackawanna College defense. Falcon opponents are scoring around 84 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
Raritan Valley (13-4, 4-1) comes into the contest at #20 in the latest NJCAA Division II polls, and fresh off a 69-58 win over Westchester CC. The Lions, after being held scoreless for the opening four minutes of the second half, found their footing, and used a 17-5 run in the middle of the second half to blow a close game open, leading by as many as twenty points, before a late Westchester push made it a little closer at the end. Raritan was an uncharacteristic 36% from the field, hitting just 18% of their shots from deep, but still managed to put four of their five starters in double-figures, including a game-high 20 points from Raheem Carter, who finished with 14 rebounds for a double-double. Malachi Gayton added 10 points and 14 rebounds of his own, while Ahmad Robinson had 16 points and four assists.
 
Raritan Valley is averaging 87.2 points per game this year, while giving up around 78 points per game to their opponents. The Lions, after scoring 90+ points in eight of their first nine games, have only crossed that barrier once in their last eight games. The Lions still shoot well, hitting 47% of their shots this year, while knocking down close to 31% from downtown, around eight threes per game. Raritan takes care of the ball, turning it over an average of 11 times per game, while forcing nearly 20 turnovers per game, 11 coming on steals. Opponents are shooting 43.5% from the field against the Lions this year. Three of Raritan's losses this season have come to ranked opponents.
 
Raritan Valley has four players averaging double-figures, and the team-leader is Raheem Carter, who is averaging 22.1 points per game on 51% shooting for the year. Carter has hit double-figures in 16 of 17 games for the Lions this year, and has scored over 20 points in eleven of those games. Carter scored a season-high 33 points against Lackawanna College earlier this year, going 13-for-25 from the floor, while pulling down eleven rebounds and swiping four steals. Carter is also the team-leader in rebounds per game at 11.1, and has ten double-doubles this year, including a season-high 18 rebounds at Chesapeake. Raheem had 20 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists against Westchester.
 
Ahmad Robinson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game so far this year. Robinson is hitting on 49% of his shots this year, and is second on the team at 32.8% from downtown. He also leads the team in free throw shooting, hitting 79% of his attempts. Robinson leads the team with 6.2 assists per game on the season, to go with his team-leading 3.0 steals per game. Robinson has also scored in double-figures in all 16 of his appearances, going for 20+ points on six occasions. His best was 29 points against Montgomery County CC, when he hit a season-high 11 field goals, including three triples, along with ten rebounds and seven assists. Robinson has three four double-doubles on the year, grabbing a season-high ten rebounds on three separate occasions, and dishing out his season-high ten assists against SUNY Orange County. Robinson went for 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists against Lackawanna College earlier this year.
 
Eddie Davis is third on the team at 16.1 points per game on 47% shooting. Davis is second on the team with 4.4 assists per game, and second to Robinson in steals per game at 2.4. Davis has scored in double-figures in 15 games this year, and has scored over 20 points in five games this season, including a season-high 25 points against Essex County College, where he hit a season-high ten field goals. Davis had a season-high nine assists against ASA Brooklyn earlier this year. He scored nine points, snagged four rebounds, and dished out three assists against Lackawanna in the first match-up. He scored just three points against Westchester.    
 
Dan Dextraze rounds out the double-digit scorers for Raritan Valley, at 12.4 points per game this year. Dextraze leads the team in shooting, hitting nearly 50% of his shots on the year, and is the team-leader in three-point percentage at 34.5%. Dextraze is second on the team at 7.9 rebounds per game, and is the team-leader in blocks per game at 2.6. Dextraze has scored in double-figures in eleven games this year, and six of his last seven. His season-high of 24 points came against Mercer County CC, where he hit eight field goals and knocked down four three-pointers. Dextraze has three double-doubles on the year, and has a season-high 14-rebound performance against Mercer County CC. Dextraze had a season-high six blocks earlier this year against Monroe Community College. Dextraze scored eight points and had ten rebounds against Lackawanna College in the first meeting. He had 11 points and six rebounds in the win over Westchester.
 
Malachi Gayton is another player to watch, having started the last three games for the Lions. Gayton is averaging around six points per game, and has pulled down eight rebounds per contest so far. Gayton's best game came against Westchester, when he had ten points and 14 rebounds. Gayton did not play against Lackawanna College in December.
 
The head coach for Raritan Valley is Kevin Ryan, now on his second stint with the Lions. Ryan took over the program in 2012, going 10-14 overall. That would be the last season in which the Lions did not make the Region XIX playoffs under Ryan. The next year, he went 20-7, capturing a GSAC championship, COTY aware, and finishing as runner-up in the Region XIX playoffs. Ryan would step away after the '17-'18 campaign, only to come back a year later, leading the Lions to the Region XIX championship game, where they'd finish as runners-up. He'd do it again a year later in the pandemic-shortened '20-'21 campaign, only to finish as runners-up again, this time against Lackawanna College. Ryan is in his ninth season at Raritan Valley, and is 133-84 in his tenure.   
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 7:00pm ET tip-off at the Raritan Valley Community College Physical Education building on Tuesday, February 1^st. It'll be the second game of a doubleheader, following the women's contest. The game will be open to the public, but fans are asked to wear masks and social distance, per Raritan Valley policies.
 
For those who cannot attend the game, there will be a video livestream available on the Raritan Valley YouTube channel HERE.
 
The Falcons will be back home on Thursday, February 3^rd, when they host CCBC Dundalk. The game is the second of a doubleheader with the Lackawanna women's basketball team, and will start at 7:00pm ET at the Lackawanna Student Union.