2/12/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team has had a season of ups and downs, and now faces an important stretch of games to end its regular season. Before the Falcons get back to region play, they host the Monroe College Mustangs in their final home game of the regular season on Saturday, February 12^th, inside the Lackawanna Student Union. Tip-off will be at 2:00pm ET, and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams to follow at 4:00pm ET.
 
This will be the second time in four days that the Falcons and Mustangs are facing off. The first match-up was on Tuesday, February 8^th, when Lackawanna shot just 16% in the third quarter, allowing Monroe to recover from a halftime deficit, and eventually win, 76-72, in New Rochelle, NY. Read the recap from that game HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (7-9) were supposed to play on Thursday night in a home Region XIX match-up with Delaware Tech, but that game was canceled, due to a lack of healthy players for the Terry Hawks. Lackawanna hasn't been in action since Tuesday night's loss at Monroe College.
 
Nya Morris leads the Falcons in scoring this year at 20.7 points per game.  Her 37 points against CCBC-Catonsville was her season-high, and she did it while going 12-for-13 from the free throw line, and hitting 11 field goals in the contest. Morris has scored in double-figures in all twelve of her appearances this year, and has crossed 20+ points on seven separate occasions. Morris won her second EPAC Player of the Week award for her efforts against Catonsville and Raritan Valley, scoring 59 points, shooting 17-for-36, and going 21-for-26 from the free throw line combined in both games. Morris also leads the team with 3.1 steals per game, averages six rebounds per game (second on the team) as a guard, and is hitting on 46% of her shots this year. Morris has hit 18 three-point shots on the year, third-most on the squad. Nya set a season-high for steals with seven at Raritan Valley. Morris has scored 20+ points in six of her last seven games. Nya led the Falcons with 21 points in her last game against Monroe College.
 
Gabrielle Jackson is the second-leading scorer on the squad, averaging 10.8 points per game. She has scored double-figures nine times this season, including her season-high 21 against Union earlier this year. She averages a team-high 3.5 assists per game, and also averages 1.4 steals per contest. Gabby pulls down 3.9 rebounds per game as a guard. Jackson is tied for second on the team with 21 steals this year. Jackson scored 13 points, four rebounds, four steals, and two assists in the win over Raritan Valley. Jackson had 14 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists against Monroe College.
 
Ashante Amos is the third-leading scorer at 8.4 points per game this year. Amos has hit double-figures in six games this season, including her season-high 19 points against Mercer County. Amos shot 6-for-10 from the field, including a pair of triples, and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line. She also had four rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Amos had back-to-back seven-assist outings against ASA and Monroe College Bronx, and is second on the team in assists per game (3.1). Amos is second on the team with 23 made three-point shots. Amos was an efficient 6-for-7, including 2-for-3 from downtown, against Harcum College, where she scored 14 points. Amos scored eight points, but was just 2-for-17 from the field against Monroe in her last outing.
 
McKeyah Duley is the fourth-leading scorer, averaging 7.9 points per game this season. Duley has hit double-figures four times this season. Duley had a season-high 25 points in a loss to Essex in November, where she hit four three-pointers. Her season-high from downtown is the five threes she hit against ASA, which she matched against Monroe. Duley leads the team in three-point shots made at 28. She also averages 5.6 rebounds per game, third on the squad. Twice she's grabbed her season-high of 12 boards, against both Essex and Catonsville. Duley had 15 points on five made three-pointers against Monroe College.
 
Daeja Cromartie is fifth on the team in scoring, as the veteran leader is averaging 6.5 points per game. Daeja scored a season-high 22 points against Union, where she went 10-for-13 from the floor, knocked down just her second three-pointer of the year, and had eight rebounds against the massive front court from Union. Daeja had five points and a season-high 20 rebounds against Monroe Brooklyn. Cromartie is averaging 9.7 rebounds per game, a team-best. She has hit double-figures in rebounds in six games this year, but has been stellar as of late. Cromartie has gone over double-digits in rebounds in five of her last eight games, and is averaging 11.4 rebounds per game in those games. Daeja had ten points and 14 boards against Monroe College on Tuesday.
 
Ny Jackson is averaging 6.2 points per game this year, and will see significant minutes for the Falcons. She's scored in double-figures five times this season, including her season-high 21 points in the win against ASA Brooklyn, when she hit five three-point shots and scored 15 points in the first half alone. Jackson shot 46% from the field, and 44% from beyond-the-arc in the two games leading up to the CCBC Essex contest. Ny scored seven points, all in the fourth quarter, to help the Falcons knock off Raritan Valley. Ny has been held scoreless in her last two games, including the loss at Monroe College.  
 
Thays Torres will also see time, and she's averaging 6.0 points per game this year. Thays has hit double-figures three times this year, and scored a season-high of 13 points against Niagara County CC earlier this season. Torres is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game, and is tied for second on the team with 21 steals this year. Thays had eleven points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the win over ASA, and followed that up with five points, seven rebounds, and a season-high five steals against Monroe Bronx. Thays had two points and a rebound in 12 minutes against Monroe College.
 
Lackawanna College is averaging 67.7 points per game, while shooting at 36% overall, and 27% from beyond-the-arc. Lackawanna is also shooting at 61.3% from the free-throw line. The Falcons are even on rebounding margin this season, and have 54 blocks as a team. The Falcons are holding their opponents to 33.9% shooting so far this year, and teams have hit 23% of their three-point attempts against the Lackawanna College defense, ranking the Falcons 16^th in the NJCAA out of teams that have played at least nine games. Opponents are averaging 66.2 points per game against the Falcon defense. Lackawanna College is averaging 20 turnovers per game, but the Falcons are forcing around 20 turnovers per game from their opponents, as well.
 
Head Coach Joya Whittington enters her eighth season at the helm for the Falcons, winning three district championships and making three NJCAA National Tournament appearances, all within the last five seasons. Whittington is a three-time District Coach of the Year, and has won 156 games in her coaching career at Lackawanna College. Whittington is a Seton Hill University graduate, and a Carbondale, PA native, where she played for Carbondale Area HS.
 
About the Opponents
Monroe College (13-13) had won eight of its last ten games, including its last four games, before a loss to Putnam Science Academy snapped their winning streak. Monroe jumped out early, up 6-5 with barely a minute gone by, but the Mustangs would hit a scoreless streak that last nearly six-and-a-half minutes, allowing the Putnam Mustangs to build a lead. Putnam led 25-9 after one quarter, and never looked back, shooting 42% for the game, dominating the glass with 18 offensive rebounds and 23 second-chance points, and forcing 21 Monroe turnovers, which led to a 28-11 advantage in points off turnovers.  Monroe had two players in double-figures, with Naomi Barnwell's 16 points leading the way.
 
The Mustangs are scoring around 63 points per game this year, while only giving up 57.1. Monroe is shooting around 37% from the field, and hitting 27% from downtown this year. Opposing teams, meanwhile, are hitting 36% and 27%, respectively, against the Monroe defense. The Mustangs have an impressive +7 rebounding margin, including around 14 offensive boards per contest. Monroe has forced just under 20 turnovers per game, while giving away 23.3 possessions per game. The Mustangs do average around 12.2 steals per game, as a team.
 
Three players are in double-figures on the year for Monroe, and Olivia Medford leads the way with 13.3 points per game this year. Medford, who missed the last two games, including the game against Lackawanna, is hitting 42% of her shots this year, and is averaging around 6.8 rebounds per game, second on the team. Medford leads the Mustangs in steals per game, at 3.4 so far this year. She's hit double-figures 14 times so far this year, going over 20 points five times. She has scored her season-high of 26 points twice this season, against Monroe CC and ASA Brooklyn. She has three double-doubles on the year, pulling down a season-high 12 rebounds on three separate occasions. Medford also had a season-high 11 steals this season, coming against Erie CC. She's averaging 20 points per game in her last three games, and went for 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and five steals against Villa Maria, her last appearance.
 
Daja Wentz is second on the team with 11.7 points per game this year. Wentz is the team-leader in assists, averaging around three assists per contest, and is fourth on the team in steals at 1.8 steals per contest. Wentz is tied for a team-best 77.1% from the free throw line, and is hitting around 37% from the field this year. Wentz has scored in double-figures 16 times this year, including her season-high of 22 points against Erie CC, where she was 11-for-15 from the floor. Wentz has scored over 20 points three times this year, and had a season-high eight assists come against Hostos Community College. Wentz had nine points and four rebounds in the game against Putnam, but put together a 13-point, three rebound, seven assist performance against Lackawanna College earlier this week.
 
Naomi Barnwell is third on the team, averaging 11.1 points per game this year. Barnwell is second on the team in shooting percentage at 44.9% from the field, and leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 boards per contest. She's second on the team in steals (2.4 per game), and third in assists (2.5 per game). Barnwell has scored in double-figures 17 times this season, with her season-high 19 points coming against CCBC Catonsville. Barnwell has eight double-doubles on the year, and four times she's hit her season-high of 12 rebounds. Barnwell is averaging 13.2 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and three steals per game in her last three games, all while shooting 45.6% from the field. Barnwell had 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against Putnam, while putting a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double together against Lackawanna earlier this week.
 
Sara Carvajal-Caro averages 9.7 points per game this year, and is the team leader in shooting, hitting just under 52% from the field this year. Carvajal-Caro is tied for the team lead at 77.1% from the free throw line, and third on the team at 5.4 rebounds per contest. She's hit double-figures 14 times this year, and scored her season-high 21 points against Lackawanna College. Carvajal-Caro has two double-doubles on the year, pulling down her season-high of 11 rebounds against Erie CC. She has scored in double-figures in her last five games, averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting 58.2% from the floor. Carvajal-Caro had 21 points and nine rebounds against Lackawanna in their previous meeting. She scored 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting in the loss to Putnam.
 
Aysia Pink has appeared in 25 games this year, mostly on the bench, and has scored 8.6 points per game. Pink leads the team in made three-pointers (52) and three-point percentage (31.7%). She's hit double-figures in scoring on nine separate occasions, and scored her season-high 26 points against Lackawanna College, where she hit seven three-pointers, also a season-best, while pulling down eight rebounds. As hot as Pink was against the Falcons, that's how cold she was against Putnam, scoring seven points on 1-for-10 shooting.  
 
Tanae Arnold and Amy Sangare will also see significant time for the Mustangs. Arnold is averaging 4.7 points per game this year, and is second on the team at 2.6 assists per game. Arnold is fourth on the team with 1.8 steals per game, as well. Arnold has hit double-figures three times this year, including a season-high 14 points against SUNY Orange. Arnold scored three points against Lackwanna, then had five points against Putnam. Meanwhile, Sangare is scoring four points per game, and is fourth on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Sangare has hit double-figures twice, scoring 17 points against Monroe Community College earlier this year. Sangare scored two points against both Lackawanna and Putnam.
 
The head coach for Monroe College is Dana Warner, who spent ten years as an assistant, and eventually associate head coach, with the Monroe College men's team, before being hired as the leader for the women's program ahead of the 2018-2019 season. Warner, as a member of the men's staff, helped the Mustangs to four NJCAA National Tournament appearances, along with four District 3 championships and six Region XV championships. Warner, a former Mustang, also spent time at Slippery Rock and CCNY, winning a PSAC POTW with the former in his lone season and helping the Beavers to a CUNYAC championship at the latter. Warner, after spending time in China teaching basketball ahead of the 2008 Olympics, returned to New York to coach basketball, coaching at The Anderson School in NYC and part-time assisting with the Mustangs. Warner went 20-9 in his first season, getting to the District C Championship in his first year, and then earning an NJCAA National Tournament appearance in the 2019-2020 season with a 19-11 record, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down. Warner, in his fourth year and third season, is 52-33 so far as a head coach.
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 2:00pm ET tip-off in at the Lackawanna Student Union, as the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams to follow at 4:00pm ET.
 
Tickets will be sold at the doors for both adults ($5) and students ($3), and Lackawanna College students are reminded that they will gain free entry with their student ID. All spectators are asked to follow the Lackawanna College Athletics Spectator Policy, which requires spectators to wear a mask in Lackawanna facilities at all times, regardless of vaccination status. Find the Lackawanna College Athletics Spectator Policy HERE.
 
For those who cannot attend, the afternoon's games will be video livestreamed via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube channel. Steve Young will handle the play-by-play, while Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary. You can access the streams by going to www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
The Falcons have two more games remaining, both away games, starting on Monday, February 14^th, when they travel to Newark, NJ to take on the Essex County College Wolverines in Region XIX action. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 6:00pm ET.