2/22/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Women's Basketball team finds itself in the Region XIX playoffs, with a chance to challenge for a Region XIX title. Before they can get there, they have to take care of business in their first game on Tuesday, February 22^nd, when they host the Raritan Valley CC Lions in a Region XIX quarterfinal match-up at the Lackawanna Student Union.  
 
This game is one of two Region XIX quarterfinals happening tonight, with the other pitting sixth-seeded Delaware Tech against third-seed Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA.
 
The Falcons are 2-0 against Raritan Valley this season, having won both of their regular season match-ups. In the first game back on December 16^th in Scranton, the Falcons overcame a late deficit, then held on in the final seconds to win 58-56. Read the recap HERE. The second game happened earlier this month at Raritan Valley, and the Falcons once again overcame a deficit, this time early in the first quarter, and used a strong fourth quarter to pull away and win, 60-47. Read the recap from game two HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (9-11, 4-6) dropped their last game, their regular season finale at Harcum College, by a 60-51 final score. Lackawanna College held a first quarter lead, and the game was tied at 35 heading into halftime, with both teams scoring relatively easy. The second half was a different story, as both the Lady Bears and the Falcons struggled mightily from the field, but it would be Lackawanna that would have a tougher time, scoring just two field goals in the final quarter as Harcum slowly pulled away. Nya Morris led the Falcons with 19 points, while McKeyah Duley and Gabrielle Jackson added 12 and ten points, respectively. Read the recap HERE.
 
Morris is the team-leader for Lackawanna College 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 15 of her appearances this year, and has crossed 20+ points on eight 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 2.8 steals per game, averages 6.7 rebounds per game (second on the team) as a guard, and is hitting on 45% of her shots this year. Morris has hit 22 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 seven of her last nine games. Nya is averaging 21 points, eight rebounds, 4.5 steals per game in her two games against Raritan this year.   
 
Gabrielle Jackson is the second-leading scorer on the squad, averaging 10.9 points per game. She has scored double-figures 12 times this season, including her season-high 21 against Union earlier this year. She averages a team-high 3.6 assists per game, and also averages 1.4 steals per contest. Gabby pulls down 3.9 rebounds per game as a guard. She also leads the team in free throws made (45) this year. Jackson is second on the team with 25 steals this year. Jackson had 12 points against Monroe, all in the second half, and has scored in double-figures in five of her last six games. Gabby is averaging 13 points, four rebounds, and four steals per game against Raritan in her two appearances against the Lions this year.
 
Ashante Amos is the third-leading scorer at 8.3 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 (3.3). Amos is second on the team with 28 made three-point shots. Ashante scored eight points in her last game against Harcum, but was 2-for-12 from the field against the Lady Bears. Amos is averaging four points, three rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in her two appearances vs. Raritan Valley this season.  
 
McKeyah Duley is the fourth-leading scorer, averaging 7.8 points per game this season. Duley has hit double-figures five 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 34. She also averages 5.5 rebounds per game, third on the squad. Twice she's grabbed her season-high of 12 boards, against both Essex and Catonsville. Duley had 12 points against Harcum in her last game, all coming on three-point shots. Duley is averaging 5.5 points and four rebounds per game in her two appearances vs. Raritan this year.  
 
Daeja Cromartie is fifth on the team in scoring, as the veteran leader is averaging 6.2 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 seven games this year, but has been stellar as of late. Cromartieis averaging 11 rebounds per game in her last ten games, hitting double-digits six times in that span. Daeja did not score against Harcum in her last game, but still pulled down eight rebounds. She averaged 9.5 rebounds per game in her two games against Raritan Valley this year.   
 
Thays Torres will see significant time for the Falcons, and she's averaging 5.6 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 5.3 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 was held scoreless in her last game against Harcum College, but is averaging six points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in her two appearances vs. Raritan. She scored ten points against the Lions in the first match-up this year.    
 
Lackawanna College is averaging 66.4 points per game, while shooting at 35.4% overall, and 27% from beyond-the-arc. Lackawanna is also shooting at 63% from the free-throw line. The Falcons have a +1.5 rebounding margin on the season, and have 59 blocks as a team. The Falcons are holding their opponents to 34.1% shooting so far this year, and teams have hit 23.4% of their three-point attempts against the Lackawanna College defense, ranking the Falcons 14^th in the NJCAA Division II. Opponents are averaging 65.6 points per game against the Falcon defense. Lackawanna College is averaging around 20 turnovers per game, but the Falcons are forcing around 19 turnovers per game from their opponents.
 
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 158 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
Raritan Valley (14-14, 2-8) has won its last three games, while also being awarded two forfeit wins, and is coming off a big home win in Region XIX, picking off Delaware Tech with a 78-70 win at home, their second straight Region XIX victory after dropping their first eight games. The Lions had their best game of the year, putting five players in double-figures, shooting 45% from the field, and scoring 52 first half points en route to a victory that would clinch them their spot in the Region XIX playoffs. Judith Girones Gonzalez had a season-high 25 points, hitting ten shots from the field, while also posting six steals to help the Lions to victory.  
 
Raritan Valley is averaging around 61 points per game, and giving up just over 60 points per game so far this season. The Lions are hitting around 22% of their three-point attempts, and 36% overall from the field this year, while their opponents shoot 35% overall, but are hitting closer to 26% from downtown. Raritan holds a slight rebounding margin advantage, and the Lions are averaging around 11 steals per game. However, Raritan averages close to 21 turnovers per game, while forcing 16 per contest.  
 
Brie Opdyke leads Raritan Valley in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game this season. Opdyke is one of two players averaging double-figures for Raritan this season. She's scored in double-figures in 21 games this year, including a season-high 27 points in the win at Harcum College on February 7^th. In that game, Opdyke was just 7-for-23, but she was 13-for-15 from the free throw line, and had 13 rebounds. Opdyke has scored in double-figures in her last five games, averaging 18 points per game in that span. She's scored over 20 points in eleven games this year, is shooting around 42% from the field on the season, and is the team-leader in rebounds at 8.3 per game. Opdyke has seven double-doubles on the year, twice hitting her season-high 15 rebounds. Opdyke is first on the team with 2.4 assists per game, and is also second on the team with 2.1 steals per game this season. Opdyke scored 12 points and had five rebounds in the win over Delaware Tech, battling foul trouble. She is averaging 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game against Lackawanna College in her two games with the Falcons, scoring 20 points in the first match-up in Scranton.
 
Judith Girones Gonzalez is second on the team with 12.4 points per game this year, and leads the team with 2.7 steals per game. Gonzalez is the team-leader in shooting (43.6%) and is second on the team in three-point shooting (23%). Gonzalez has scored in double-figures in 18 games this season, including her season-high 25 points in the win against Delaware Tech, making a season-high ten shots. Against Del Tech, Gonzalez set her season-high of six steals. Gonzalez has one double-double on the year, when she scored ten points and grabbed eleven rebounds against Delaware Tech earlier this season. Gonzalez has scored over 20 points in three straight games, averaging 18.2 points per game in that span, shooting 48.6% from the field. Gonzalez is averaging 12 points, three rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game against Lackawanna College in their two match-ups. She had 11 points in their last meeting on February 1^st.    
 
Micaela Etlinger is third on the team with 8.3 points per game this year, and is third on the team at 5.7 rebounds per game. Etlinger leads the Lions this year at three assists per game. Etlinger is shooting around 31% from the field, and has scored in double-figures ten times this year. Her season-high came against SUNY Orange, where she scored 22 points and went 7-for-10 from the free throw line. Etlinger also had five assists, five steals, and three rebounds in that win over SUNY Orange. Etlinger has hit double-figures in rebounds twice this year, including a season-high 13 against Harcum, where she also scored 14 points for her lone double-double on the year. Etlinger scored ten points and set her season-high at six assists in the win over Delaware Tech in her last appearance. She's averaging eight points and 5.5 rebounds per game in her two appearances against Lackawanna College this year.
 
Maia Little is fourth on the team at 5.6 points per game this year. Little is shooting around 36% from the field, and grabs just over two rebounds per game. She's hit double-figures five times this season, scoring her season-high 16 points against Del Tech earlier this season, back in November. Little's proven to be a Del Tech killer, scoring 13 points in her last game against the Terry Hawks, hitting a season-high four three-point shots. She didn't play in the first match-up against Lackawanna College, and was held scoreless in seven minutes against the Falcons in their last match-up.
 
Le'Ana Brown is fourth on the team at 5.3 points per game. Brown is shooting around 31% this year, and leads the team in three-point percentage at 26% this year. Brown has hit double-figures three times this season, getting her season-high of 22 points against Monroe Bronx on 7-for-8 shooting, six of which were threes. Brown has struggled as of late, averaging just three points per game in her last five contests. She was held scoreless against Delaware Tech in her last game. She's averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in her two games against Lackawanna College. Brown scored seven against the Falcons in their last meeting.
 
Allison Seater may also see significant time for the Lions. Seater is averaging 4.5 points per game this year, and is second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Seater also leads the team in blocks, at 1.2 per contest. Seater had a season-high 18 points against Essex County College earlier this month, going 7-for-10 from the floor and knocking down a pair of three-pointers. Seater also had her season-high 12 rebounds in that game. Four time this season, Seater has topped double-figures in rebounds. Seater is averaging eight points and 8.6 rebounds per game in her last five contests. Seater had 13 points and ten rebounds in the win over Delaware Tech in her last game. She is averaging four points and 3.5 rebounds per game against Lackawanna in both games this year.
 
The head coach for Raritan Valley is Philip Herro, in his seventh season at the helm for the Lions. Herro was hired to help transition the program from club to varsity status, and oversaw that transition in the 2015-2016 season. He quickly developed Raritan into a team to be reckoned with in Region XIX, going 22-9 in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Herro's teams have made three Region XIX semi-finals, and four Region XIX playoffs overall. Herro is 90-74 in his seven years in charge. 
 
Game Information
The match-up is set for a 5:00pm ET tip-off in the Lackawanna Student Union on Tuesday, February 22^nd. Tickets will be sold at the door for adults ($5) and students ($3), with Lackawanna College students and employees getting free entry by showing their Lackawanna College IDs. The current Lackawanna College Athletics Spectator Policy can be found HERE.
 
For those who cannot attend tonight's game, there will be a live video stream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube. Steve Young will provide the play-by-play commentary, while Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.
 
The winner of tonight's Region XIX quarterfinal will play at the top-seeded Union County College Owls on Thursday at a time to be determined.