2/5/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The visiting County College of Morris Titans scored 54 second half points, helping them overcome a double-digit deficit to knock off the Lackawanna College Falcons, 89-85, on Saturday afternoon at the Lackawanna Student Union.
 
The Falcons (5-13, 3-5) held a double-digit lead at one point, and were ahead 49-41 just a few minutes into the second half, but a pair of killer runs from the Titans put them in front, and forced the Falcons to play catch-up the rest of the way. Lackawanna College put five players in double-figures, including a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds from Jaylen Davis, but the Falcons had 21 turnovers, many coming in key moments of the game. Morris (8-7, 6-2) placed four players in double-figures, including Kymani Dunbar's game-high 23 points, 17 of which came in the second half.
 
Things were even, initially, between both teams, with the Falcons holding a 15-14 edge over the Titans at the 10:46 mark in the first half. Jaylen Davis led the way for the Falcons with six early points, and the pace of the game was slow and plodding, with each team trying to figure the other's half-court defense out. The speed started to mount soon after that, with both teams getting out and scoring in transition, but the Falcons still held a 26-23 lead, which expanded to 32-23 with 4:20 to play in the first half.
 
Morris battled back, getting the deficit to just three points off an Emil Belliard three-pointer, but the Falcons would hit a three of their own, thanks to a David Pope jumper from the left wing, which made it 41-35, Falcons, at the break.
 
The second half started brightly for Lackawanna College, as the Falcons expanded the lead to 47-37, the first double-digit lead of the game, and they still held a 49-41 advantage early in the half. Morris would respond with an 8-1 run, cutting the Falcon lead to just 50-49 with 15:07 to play in the half. Lackawanna would bounce back with a 6-0 run of their own to grab a seven-point advantage, but Morris would hit back with a 12-6 spurt, giving them a 62-60 lead at the 8:54 mark of the half.
 
From there, the Morris lead would yo-yo between five points and even as close as one point, but the Falcons couldn't seem to close the gap. The Falcons kept finding a bucket when the game was slipping away, but the Titans kept answering with points of their own. The Falcons had it down to one-point, at 81-80, with 44.3 seconds to go, but a Kymani Dunbar runner gave the Titans the three-point edge. On the other end, the Falcons couldn't convert on their free throws, and a deflected rebound went just out of the reach of Jaylen Davis, finding the waiting arms of a Morris player to run more time off the clock.
 
A Daryl Coleman three made it 88-85, Titans still ahead, with 0.9 seconds to go, but the Falcons were called for a technical foul before the inbounds pass, allowing the Titans to hit a free throw to finally put the game beyond reach.
 
Morris shot 51.5% in the second half, including hitting six three-pointers, and went 18-for-25 from the free throw line in the second half, alone. The Titans were 28-for-38 from the charity stripe for the game, hitting 74% of their shots. Lackawanna College shot 50.8% for the contest, but their 21 turnovers hurt their cause. In addition to Davis's double-double, the Falcons also got 19 points from Ahmir Ellzy, who was 8-for-11 from the floor, hit three three-pointers, and dished out four assists. David Pope added 14 points, including three three-balls of his own, and Will Johnson added 12 points and four assists.
 
The Falcons get back to action on Tuesday, February 8^th, when they travel to take on NJCAA Division I Monroe College in New Rochelle, NY. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET.