2/14/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team will begin an important two-game stretch to close their regular season, with Region XIX playoff implications on the line, on the road, against a two opponents that already own victories over the Falcons from earlier this year. It starts on Monday, February 14^th, when the Falcons travel to take on the Wolverines of Essex County College in Newark, NJ, in a critical Region XIX match-up. The game is set for a 5:00pm ET tip-off, and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams to follow at 7:00pm ET.
 
The Falcons are hoping to avenge a loss from earlier this season, when Essex knocked off the Falcons 80-75 in overtime in Lackawanna's home opener. You can read the recap from that game HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (8-9, 3-4) are coming off a big home win over the Monroe Mustangs, 59-52, this past Saturday, thanks to a big third quarter surge. The Falcons scored more points in the third period (23) than they did in the entire first half (22), and got 12 points from Gabrielle Jackson, all in the second half, to help boost them to victory. Nya Morris led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Falcons. Read the recap HERE.
 
Morris is the team-leader for Lackawanna College at 20.5 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 13 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 three steals per game, averages 6.5 rebounds per game (second on the team) as a guard, and is hitting on 44% 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 eight games. Nya did not play against Essex County College in the first match-up this year.  
 
Gabrielle Jackson is the second-leading scorer on the squad, averaging 10.9 points per game. She has scored double-figures ten times this season, including her season-high 21 against Union earlier this year. She averages a team-high 3.4 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 23 steals this year. Jackson had 12 points against Monroe, all in the second half, and has scored in double-figures in three of her last four games. Gabby hada wonderful game against Essex in their first match-up, scoring 14 points, dishing out ten assists, and grabbing six rebounds.
 
Ashante Amos is the third-leading scorer at 8.5 points per game this year. Amos has hit double-figures in seven 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 (3.2). Amos is second on the team with 25 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 had ten points, five rebounds, and four assists in the win over Monroe College. Amos, like Morris, also did not play against Essex County College earlier this year.
 
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 the loss to Essex County College 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 this year. Duley leads the team in three-point shots made at 30. She also averages 5.8 rebounds per game, third on the squad. Twice she's grabbed her season-high of 12 boards, against both Essex and Catonsville. Duley had seven points and nine rebounds in the win over Monroe College on Saturday.
 
Daeja Cromartie is fifth on the team in scoring, as the veteran leader is averaging 6.6 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 8.8 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 nine games, and is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game in those games. Daeja had eight points, nine boards, and three assists against Monroe College on Saturday. Daeja did not appear in the first match-up with Essex County College.
 
Thays Torres will see significant time for the Falcons, and she's averaging 5.9 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 5.2 rebounds per game, and is third 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 four points and seven rebounds in the win over Monroe College on Saturday. She scored eight points and had a season-high eleven rebounds against Essex County College earlier this year.  
 
Lackawanna College is averaging 67.2 points per game, while shooting at 35.7% overall, and 27% from beyond-the-arc. Lackawanna is also shooting at 62% from the free-throw line. The Falcons are even on rebounding margin this season, and have 55 blocks as a team. The Falcons are holding their opponents to 33.7% shooting so far this year, and teams have hit 22.6% of their three-point attempts against the Lackawanna College defense, ranking the Falcons 11^th in the NJCAA Division II. Opponents are averaging 65.4 points per game against the Falcon defense. Lackawanna College is averaging just shy of 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 157 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
The Essex County College Wolverines (13-6, 5-4) had won four straight heading into Saturday's contest at Delaware Tech, but dropped that one, 66-56. Del Tech put three players in double-figures and shot 44% for the game, while pulling down 63 rebounds as a team. The Wolverines held a 6-1 lead early, but the Terry Hawks rallied to take a lead they'd never surrender. Essex, after enduring a 12-4 run to open the third quarter that gave Del Tech a 19-point advantage, whittled down the lead to just eight points, but couldn't get any closer.  
 
The Wolverines are averaging 66.3 points per game, while also giving up 63.4 points per game. They're shooting around 35% overall from the field this year, and are hitting around 29% of their shots from downtown, averaging around eight made three-pointers per contest. Opponents are hitting around 38% from the field, and are outrebounding Essex by around seven rebounds per contest this season. Essex takes care of the ball, only averaging just shy of 11 turnovers per game, while forcing over 18 turnovers per contest from their opponents. The Wolverines are averaging just shy of ten steals per game.  
 
The Wolverines are led by Jakira Coar, who was averaging 26.4 points per game heading into the Del Tech contest. Coar is the best free throw shooter on the squad (78.6%), and also leads the Wolverines in steals per game (3.1), while pulling down 4.6 rebounds per game. Coar shoots around 40% from the field, and leads Essex at 33.6% from downtown. Coar has hit double-figures in all 18 of her appearances, and has scored 20 or more points on 14 different occasions, going over 30 points six different times. Coar scored her season-high against County College of Morris, dropping 51 points against the Titans on January 25^th. Coar made 17 shots, 11 from downtown, and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She hit 61% from the field, and shot 58% from beyond-the-arc. She followed that performance with 44 points against SUNY Sullivan, where she hit nine three-pointers and had nine steals. Against Lackawanna College, Coar torched the Falcons, scoring 29 points while hitting 11 shots from the field, including the killer three-ball to give Essex the win in OT. Coar scored 30 points in the game before the Delaware Tech match-up, hitting seven three-pointers in a win against Westchester. Coar, in her last four games before the Del Tech game, is averaging 29 points per game, shooting 43.6% from the field and hitting 37% from downtown. She had hit at least six threes in her last three games entering the Del Tech game.  
 
Salma Abouelkheir is second on the team with 8.8 points per game heading into the Delaware Tech contest. She's second on the team in shooting (39.1%), and is the team-leader in rebounds per game (8.4). Abouelkheir hit the double-digit mark ten times this season, scoring a season-high 13 points against Monroe Bronx in the first game of the year. She has six double-doubles on the year, including a season-high 20 rebounds against Raritan Valley earlier this season, including eleven offensive rebounds. Abouelkheir had 12 points and nine rebounds, to go with four steals, in the win over Lackawanna College earlier this season. She had just two points in the win over Westchester, prior to the Delaware Tech game.
 
Chloe Cassidy is tied for third on the team with Mia Martinez at 7.8 points per game. Cassidy shoots around 34% from the floor, and is second on the team at 31.2% from downtown. Cassidy is third on the team at 1.9 assists per game, and averages 3.5 rebounds per game. Heading into the Delaware Tech game, Cassidy had scored in double-figures four times this year, and twice in her last two games, including her season-high 19 points against ASA New York, where she hit a season-high five three-pointers. Cassidy had eight points and two rebounds against Lackawanna College earlier this year. She had 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists against Westchester in her last appearance, before the Del Tech contest.
 
Meanwhile, Mia Martinez leads the team in assists, with 4.5 helpers per contest. Mia is second on the team in rebounds per game (6.2) and is tied for second in steals per game (1.9). Heading into the Delaware Tech game, Mia had scored in double-figures eight times this season, including a season-high 15 points, with four made threes, at Raritan Valley in December. Mia had a double-double in her first match-up against Harcum, where she scored 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. She set a season-high with eight assists against County College of Morris in November. Mia had 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists against Lackawanna College earlier this year. She had nine points, six rebounds, and five assists against Westchester, prior to the Delaware Tech game.
 
Camille Arias is averaging 7.7 points per game this year, and is hitting around 28% from the field. She averages 4.2 rebounds per game, and has scored in double-figures six times this year, twice in her last three games. In those two games, Arias set her season-high with 17 points, doing it against Delaware Tech in February 5^th where she hit six shots, including five three-pointers, and then she did it again against ASA New York where she hit six shots, including four three-pointers. Arias had six points and two rebounds against Lackawanna College, and scored nine points against Westchester in her last game before the second Del Tech match-up.
 
Ania Martinez is next, scoring 7.1 points per game so far this year. Ania shoots a little better than her sister, hitting 32% of her shots this season. Ania is third on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game, and second on the team with three assists per game. Ania also averages 1.9 steals per contest. Entering the game against Del Tech, Ania had scored in double-figures five times, including her season-high of 16 points against Brookdale, where she had season-highs of field goals made (five) and three-pointers made (three). She's had one double-double this year (12 pts, 12 rebs against Mercer), and had 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals against Lackawanna College in the first match-up. She was 5-for-7 from the free throw line in that contest. Ania scored eleven points against Westchester, prior to her game against Del Tech.
 
The head coach for the Wolverines is Anthony Green, who had previously spent three years as an assistant with the men's basketball team at Essex before stepping into the head coaching role for the women's squad in 2020. Green, a former Felician College standout, has spent the last decade in coaching in New Jersey, coaching numerous AAU teams, while also serving as a freshman basketball coach at Hudson Catholic HS. This is Green's first year in charge, as the Wolverines did not compete last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 5:00pm ET tip-off at the Essex County College Physical Education building on Monday, February 14^th. It'll be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's game to follow at 7:00pm ET.
 
The Falcons have one more regular season game remaining, and it's another important Region XIX clash, when they travel to Bryn Mawr to take on the Harcum College Bears on Wednesday, February 16^th. That game is scheduled for a 5:00pm ET tip.