2/10/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Men's Basketball team will play the first of two critical Region XIX contests, with their playoff lives in the balance, on Thursday, February 10^th, when they host the Terry Hawks from Delaware Tech CC. The game is set for a 5:00pm ET tip-off, and is the second meeting between the teams. Delaware Tech won the first match-up in Stanton, DE, 77-69. You can read the recap from that game HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (5-14, 3-5), after winning three out of their first five games, have gone 2-12 since December, with eight of those losses occurring in games where the Falcons held a lead in the second half. In the current Region XIX standings, the Falcons are on the outside looking in, when it comes to the Region XIX playoffs. However, if the Falcons win their next two Region games (vs. Delaware Tech, at Essex County), they might be able to play themselves back into a playoff berth.
 
In their last game, the Falcons travelled to New Rochelle, NY to take on the NJCAA Division I Monroe College Mustangs. After a back-and-forth spurt through most of the first half, the Mustangs closed the half strong, doubling up on what was a seven-point lead before the break, and then using a 54-point second half to pull away, 103-69, handing the Falcons their fifth straight defeat. Lackawanna College didn't shoot poorly, overall, hitting 44% of their shots, but the Falcons were just 4-for-23 from downtown, and committed 24 turnovers. The Mustangs hit 57% from the field in the second half. Read the recap of the game HERE.
 
Jaylen Davis is the team-leader in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game so far this year, along with 8.9 rebounds per game, also first on the team. "JD" has scored in double-figures in 12 games this year, going over 20+ points four times, and scoring a season-high 25 points against PSU-Hazleton on opening night. Davis's 16 rebounds against Morris earlier this year was a season-high, and he now has six double-doubles this year. Davis is shooting 54.3% from the field on the year, and averages 1.6 assists per game, along with 1.3 blocks per game this year. Davis had 16 points and nine rebounds on an efficient 8-for-10 showing against Monroe, but battled foul trouble in the second half. He scored 12 points and had seven rebounds against Delaware Tech in their first meeting this year.
 
Will Johnson is the second-leading scorer this year, averaging 11.2 points per game. Johnson has scored in double-figures in 12 of his last 14 games, but was held scoreless for the second time this year against Monroe in his last game. Earlier this year, Johnson had 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 4.1 assists per game this season, and also leads the Falcons with 17 steals this year. Johnson is the team-leader in free throw shooting, hitting 78.6% from the charity stripe this season. Johnson, despite being held scoreless, still affected the game against Monroe, dishing out six assists. Against Delaware Tech, he scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and had five assists.
 
David Pope is third on the team with 11.1 points per game on the year. Pope, who has started for the Falcons in his last ten games, is hitting around 42% of his shots this year, and leads the Falcons with 28 made three-pointers. Pope is second on the team in free throw shooting, hitting 78%, and has scored in double-figures eleven times this year, eight times since he began starting in January. Pope has hit 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 ten games, Pope is averaging 13.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 46.1% from the field, while knocking down 18 three-pointers. Pope had 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, hitting a pair of triples and pulling in five rebounds against Monroe. He had 16 points against Delaware Tech CC in their last meeting.
 
Daryl Coleman is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per game this season. Coleman is also averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, and is the team's second-best three-point threat, hitting 21 threes this year. Coleman has scored in double-figures seven times this season, including a season-high 20 points against Mercer County CC. Coleman had 12 points, including a stretch where he scored seven straight, against Monroe College in his last appearance, but was held to just four points against Delaware Tech in their previous meeting.  
 
Ahmir Ellzy is fifth on the team, averaging 8.8 points per game this season. Ellzy had a breakout game against Raritan, scoring a season-high 23 points for the Falcons off the bench. Ellzy hit a season-best nine shots, including five three-pointers, and also grabbed six rebounds. Ellzy has hit double-figures six times this year. Ellzy is third on the team with 2.5 assists per game this season. Ellzy is third on the team at 20 made three-pointers on the year. Ellzy, an All-Region selection last year, had seven points and five rebounds against Monroe in his last game. He scored seven points against Delaware Tech CC earlier this year.    
 
Magd Abdelwahab is averaging 7.4 points per game this year. Magd has hit double-figures five times this year, including his season-high 23 points against Niagara County CC earlier this season. Magd is hitting 34% of his shots this year, is fourth on the team with 17 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, after missing the last two games, returned in a big role for the Falcons against CCBC Dundalk, leading the bench mob in the first half with 12 of his team-high 16 points. Magd had 16 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists against Dundalk. Magd was held to just two points against Monroe, but did manage six assists and six rebounds. He scored two points in just eleven minutes against Delaware Tech earlier this season.  
 
Gabe Springer is second on the Falcons with 6.9 rebounds per game, and is averaging 5.8 points per game, while also leading the team in blocks (21) 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 had seven points and three rebounds against Monroe College in his last game. He was held to four points, but had nine rebounds, against Delaware Tech in their last meeting.  
 
Brandon Scott is averaging 5.8 points per game in his 13 appearances this year. He's an efficient 46% from the field, and is also averaging 3.2 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 scored eight points and had four rebounds against Monroe in his last game. He had two points and four rebounds in limited time against Delaware Tech earlier this season.
 
Nashawn Johnson, who was also an All-Region selection last year, is averaging 4.7 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. Nashawn had four points and eight rebounds against Dundalk, one rebound shy of his season-high. Nashawn had three points and a rebound against Monroe in his last game, while he scored four points and had four rebounds against Delaware Tech earlier this season.
 
Lackawanna College is averaging around 75 points per game as a team, while shooting at 41.4% overall and 26.9% from beyond-the-arc. The Falcons are also hitting around 66% from the free-throw line. Lackawanna College holds a +4 rebounding margin, and has 85 blocks as a team, but the Falcons average just shy of 20 turnovers per game, and are allowing their opponents to shoot 44% from the field so far this year. Teams are hitting 33.8% from downtown against the Falcons defense, while putting up nearly 85 points per game.
 
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 Delaware Tech CC Terry Hawks (6-10, 3-2) come into the contest with Lackawanna on a three-game losing streak, having dropped a 91-69 decision at the Community College of Philadelphia in their last game. The Terry Hawks, after not playing in the month of January due to COVID-19, are playing their fourth game in eight days, and will still have four more games to play between Saturday, February 12^th and Thursday, February 17^th. Against Philadelphia, Delaware Tech couldn't get out of the starting blocks, as the Lions jumped out to a 51-23 lead at halftime, and coasted the rest of the way to the win. The Terry Hawks shot poorly, hitting just 32% from downtown, and were 13-for-48 from beyond-the-arc. Meanwhile, Philadelphia shot 47% from the field, and held a 55-to-23 advantage on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds. Del Tech put three players in double-figures, with Syed Myles leading the way at 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting from downtown. Noah Tran added 15 points off the bench, and Izaiah Credle scored 12 points and had five rebounds for the Terry Hawks.
 
Delaware Tech is averaging 78 points per game this year, while giving up around 82 points per game. They're hitting on 46% of their shots this year, and are averaging just over eight made three-point shots per game, but opponents are just as accurate from deep, and are shooting at 44% overall this season. The Terry Hawks are getting outrebounded by a -5 margin, and are averaging around 15 turnovers per game.
 
The Terry Hawks have four players in double-figures for the season, and Syed Myles leads the pack with a 17.7 points per game average. Myles is shooting around 52% from the field this year, a team-high 43% from downtown, and is averaging just over four rebounds per game, to go with 2.4 assists per game, good enough for second on the team. Myles is second on the team in free throw shooting, hitting 82% from the line this year. Myles has been in double-figures 12 times this season, and has gone over 20 points six times. He's hit for 30+ on two different occasions, including his season-high 36 points against Raritan Valley, a game where he went 19-for-20 from the free-throw line to help Delaware Tech win 105-101. His season-high eight rebounds came against Howard CC earlier this year. Myles had 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting against Philadelphia, including tying his season-best with five made three-pointers. Myles had 19 points and six rebounds against Lackawanna College in their previous meeting, going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.  
 
Izaiah Credle is second on the team with 16.3 points per game this year, hitting 41% of his shots this year, and shooting 35% from downtown, second-best on the team. Credle is third on the team in rebounding, grabbing 5.7 per game, and is third on the team in assists, dishing out 2.3 per contest. Credle has hit double-figures in 15 of the 16 games this year for Del Tech, including a season-high 31 points against Chesapeake, going 11-for-19 from the field, four-for-six from beyond-the-arc, and grabbing six rebounds. Credle has topped 20+ points twice this year. Credle also has a pair of double-doubles on the year, with his season-high 13 rebounds coming in a 19-point, 13-rebound effort against Essex last Saturday. Credle had 12 points in the loss to Philadelphia on 3-for-16 shooting, but had 16 points, seven rebounds, and four steals against Lackawanna College in their previous meeting.    
 
Rashaan Butler is third on the team with 15.6 points per game, and is second on the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game. Butler is the team leader in field goal percentage (57.1%), assists per game (2.8) and steals per game (1.1). Butler has hit double-figures in scoring 13 times this year, topping 20+ points five times, and has three double-doubles this year. His season-high in points came against Harford, where he scored 28 points on 13-for-19 shooting, while also tying his season-high in rebounds with 11 boards. He had just three points and four rebounds in the loss to Philadelphia. Butler was great against Lackawanna College, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds, and coming up with three steals in their last meeting.
 
Jared McGarrity is fourth on the team, averaging 10.6 points per game this year. McGarrity is shooting around 40% from the field, and hitting around 31% from downtown. McGarrity is third on the team from the charity stripe at 69%, and is pulling down an average of four rebounds per game this year. He's hit double-figures seven times this season, including his season-high 21 points against Howard CC. He had a season-high nine rebounds earlier this year against Harford. McGarrity had eight points and three rebounds against Philadelphia, and scored seven points against Lackawanna College in their first meeting this year.
 
Tyson Tanner is averaging 8.4 points per game this year, and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. Tanner is shooting 57% from the field, leads the team with two blocks per contest, and has hit double-figures six times on the year. He scored a season-high 13 points on three separate occasions, and has three double-doubles this year. Tanner also had a season-high 20 rebounds against Raritan Valley this year. Tanner has not played in the last two games for the Terry Hawks. He scored six points, pulled down six boards, and had three blocks against Lackawanna in their last meeting.
 
Noah Tran may also see significant minutes for Delaware Tech, and he's averaging 6.3 points per game this year. Tran is the team-leader in free throw shooting, hitting 88% this year, and is shooting 41% from the field this season. He's hit double-figures in four games this year, but has set his season-high twice in his last two games, including his 15-point performance off the bench against Philadelphia, where he went 6-for-11 from the field. Tran did not score in three minutes of work against Lackawanna earlier this year.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Richard Rago, entering his third official season at the helm for the Terry Hawks. Delaware Tech's program did not participate in the pandemic-shortened 2020-2021 season last year. Rago was tasked with building the program back up in 2018, and, after a tough first year, improved by eleven wins in his second year. Rago came to Del Tech after spending nearly 30 years in high school basketball, coaching St. Elizabeth HS in Delaware. There, he won Catholic League COTY five different times, and had his teams as a regular in the state tournament over his last ten seasons.
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 5:00pm ET tip-off at the Lackawanna Student Union in Scranton, PA. Tickets will be sold at the door to both adults ($5) and students ($3), and Lackawanna College students can get in for free by showing their student ID. Current Lackawanna College Athletics Spectator Policy is that all fans in attendance, regardless of vaccination status, MUST wear a mask. To view the full Lackawanna College Athletics Spectator Policy, click HERE.
 
There is a video livestream available, via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube channel. Steve Young will provide the play-by-play, while Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary. You can watch the game happen, live, at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday, February 12^th, when they host Monroe College in the Lackawanna Student Union in non-region action. It'll be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing the first game at 2:00pm ET, followed by the men's game at 4:00pm ET.