1/11/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College women's basketball team, after a month away from action, finally gets back to work, when they host the County College of Morris Titans on Wednesday, January 11^th, for their first game of the 2023 portion of the season.
 
Tip-off is set for 5:00pm ET inside the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams tipping in game two at 7:00pm ET. Both games will be promoting Gun Violence Awareness throughout the evening. The games are open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the door for both students ($3) and adults ($5). For those who can't make the game, there will be a video livestream available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE, and also via the Region 19 Sports Network. Steve Young will provide the play-by-play, and Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.
 
Last year, Lackawanna College did not play Morris, which elected to play a club schedule.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (5-4, 3-1) has been dormant for over a month, with their last game occurring on Saturday, December 10^th, where they knocked off nationally ranked Union County College in an impressive 74-50 victory. Lackawanna College overcame an early eleven-point deficit to outscore the Owls 45-19 through the second and third quarters to come out with the impressive win. Lackawanna College shot 45% from the field, and held a +15 rebounding margin, while putting four players in double-figures. Cianna Roberts had 17 points, a team-high, off the bench, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor, while Nya Jackson added 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half.   
 
The Falcons are averaging just under 64 points per game, and are giving up slightly over 63 points per game through their first nine contests. The shooting percentage has steadily improved, as the Falcons are hitting around 36% from the field, and are holding opponents to 34% on the year. Lackawanna College has struggled from deep, shooting just 16% from downtown this year. Lackawanna is hitting 66% of its free throws this season, making more shots (122) than their opponents have attempted (120). The Falcons are nearly even in rebounding margin so far this season, and have forced an average of 15 turnovers per game this season, while also averaging 4.3 blocks per game on the year. Lackawanna College averages 17 turnovers per game, and their opponents average just under ten steals per game.
 
The Falcons are balanced, with five players averaging eight points or more per game this season, with Nya Jackson (Harrisburg, PA), a returner from last year, as the only player averaging double-figures at 10.4 per game. Jackson averages 4.1 rebounds per game, and leads Lackawanna in assists, putting up 20 in eight games of work. Jackson is shooting 31.8% from the field, but is 24-for-30 from the free throw line on the season, a team-best 80% average. Jackson has ten steals in eight games, second on the team in total steals. Jackson has scored in double-figures five times this season, scoring her season-best 16 points twice this year, once in the loss to Harcum and then again in the win over Union. In the Harcum game, Nya had six shots from the floor and had five rebounds and three assists. Jackson had 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting with two rebounds and three assists in the win over Union, while also going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  
 
Cianna Roberts (Brooklyn, NY), who played a majority of bench minutes a year ago, is second on the team, averaging 9.8 points per game and pulling down 4.6 rebounds per game, third on the squad among players who have played more than five games this year. Roberts is hitting around 40% of her shots this year, and has been the most accurate of the three-point shooters for the Falcons, going 7-for-26 from deep this year. Roberts is third on the team with nine steals so far this season. She's also third on the team with 13 total assists this year. Roberts has scored in double-figures four times this season, including a season-best 17 points in the win over Union in December. Roberts was 7-for-9 from the field, and had five rebounds and two assists to help the Falcons to victory. Against Monroe CC, Roberts had her first double-double as a Falcon, going for 14 points and ten rebounds in the win. Roberts was 5-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range.
 
Last year's second-leading scorer, and 2^nd Team All-Region selection, Gabrielle Jackson (Darby Twp, PA), is third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game. Jackson is pulling down 3.4 rebounds per contest, and has 16 total assists, second on the team, while putting up eight total steals so far this year in seven games. Jackson, back for her third year, is second on the team in field goal percentage (44.8%) and has made 14 free throws through her seven games. Jackson has scored in double-figures five times this season, going for a season-best 18 points in the loss to Monroe College. In that game, Jackson made seven free throws and pulled down four rebounds, while posting three assists and three steals. Jackson had ten points on 4-for-6 shooting in 23 minutes against Montgomery College. Against Union, Jackson put up eleven points, five rebounds, and three assists in the win over the Owls.  
 
Sidney Spence (Bronx, NY) is averaging 8.8 points per game on the year. Spence leads the team in shooting, hitting 51% of her shots this year, and is second on the team in free throw percentage, hitting 75% of her shots from the charity stripe this season, where she is second on the team in makes (21). She's third on the team in rebounds (5.1 per game) and has seven steals this year. Spence had scored in double-figures for four straight games, all in bench minutes for the Falcons, and had a season-best 19 points in 23 minutes in the win over Jamestown. Spence was 7-for-16 form the field, and went 5-for-7 from the free throw line, while tying her season-high with nine rebounds in the win over the Jayhawks. She's gone for double-figures in five games this year, and had ten points and four rebounds in the win over Union last month.  
 
Dominique Geiger (Plainfield, NJ) has had a good start to her first season as a Falcon, and is averaging 8.4 points per game this year. Geiger is hitting 40% of her shots this year, and has hit ten free throws this season. Geiger has six steals on the season and has nine assists. She's gone for double-digits in points in three games, including a season-high 15 points in the win over Jamestown. In that game against the Jayhawks, Geiger scored her 15 on 7-for-12 shooting, pulling down three rebounds as well in 29 minutes of work. Geiger was held scoreless against Union, but still had a pair of assists and a rebound in the victory.   
 
Mahogony Collins (Harrisburg, PA) is up to 5.4 points per game this year, and is just shy of ten rebounds per game, tops on the team. Collins has also denied a team-best 37 shots in all nine of her games this year, good for 4.1 blocks per game. Collins is now shooting 32% from the field this year, and has 28 offensive rebounds on the year. Collins got her season and career-high in points against Essex, where she scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds, along with six blocks.  She's crossed double-digits in rebounds five times this year, already. She set a season-high with seven blocks in the loss to Harcum earlier this season, then tied that season-high with seven more against Union. Against the Owls, Collins had two points and seven rebounds to go with her seven blocks.
 
The newest face in the women's basketball program is Monica Spence, entering her first year in charge of the program. Spence follows in the footsteps of Joya Whittington, who was third all-time in wins as a coach and led the Falcons to several stops in the national tournament. Spence joined as an assistant last season, and was elevated to head coach with Whittington's departure. Spence has spent time as a coach at the youth level, as well as the semi-professional men's basketball level.
 
About the Opponents
County College of Morris (2-6, 0-4) comes into the contest after not playing since a 110-29 blowout loss to Union County College back on December 17^th. Morris fell behind 29-6 after the first quarter, and just couldn't get on track offensively against the Owls. Union had 33 steals, forcing 37 turnovers, and held Morris to just 30% shooting. Morris was also outrebounded 52-17. Tiffani Szkarlatiuk led the way with eleven points, going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Clare Saalfield was second on the team with eight points and five rebounds.
 
Morris is averaging 45 points per game this season, while their opponents are averaging nearly 70 points per game this year. The Titans are shooting 37% from the field, and hitting on 21% from three-point range this year. Meanwhile, their opponents are shooting just shy of 37% from the field, and hitting just over 28% from downtown. Morris has a -17 rebounding margin, and the Titans are averaging just over 27 turnovers per game, while their opponents average 17 steals per game.
 
Tiffani Szkarlatiuk leads the Titans with 15 points per game this season, shooting a team-best 49% from the floor. Szkarlatiuk is shooting 25% from three-point range, and is hitting 68% from the free throw line this year. Her 3.9 rebounds per game is third on the team, and is averaging 2.9 assists per game, tops on the team. She also averages three steals per contest, also tops on the squad. Szkarlatiuk has gone for double-digits in points on seven different occasions, going for her season-best 24 points in the 99-51 loss to Harcum in the second game of the year. In that game, Tiffani went 11-for-17 from the field, while dishing out her season-best seven assists, and grabbing five rebounds. Szkarlatiuk has one double-double on the year, an 18-point, 13-rebound performance in a 60-40 loss to Raritan Valley. She had eleven points on 4-for-8 shooting in the loss to Union, and was the only Titan in double-figures.
 
Clare Saalfield is second on the team, averaging 12.5 points per game this year. She's shooting 41% from the field on the year, and is the team leader in rebounding, averaging 8.1 rebounds per contest. She's second on the team in assists per game (2.5) and is the top shot-blocker on the Titans, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. Saalfield has scored in double-figures four times this season, scoring her season-high 22 points at home in a loss to Brookdale, making a season-best ten shots. Saalfield has a pair of double-doubles on the year, and has reached ten rebounds three times so far this season for her season-high. Saalfield had a season-best nine steals in a 52-33 win over Sussex County CC. Against Union, Saalfield had eight points on 4-for-15 shooting, along with five rebounds and two blocks.
 
Julian Ghanim is third on the team with 6.4 points per game so far this season. Ghanim is averaging 38% from the field, and is second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest. Ghanim has scored in double-figures twice this season, going for her season-high at 13 points in a 64-41 win over Bergen County CC. In that game, Ghanim was 6-for-10 from the field, while pulling down her season-high eight rebounds. Against Union, Ghanim had two points and put up a team-high six rebounds in the loss.
 
Madison Paseler is averaging 5.4 points per game so far this season, shooting 28% from the field. She's the team leader in three-point shooting, averaging 33% from downtown, and is a 71% free throw shooter this year. She's averaging two assists per game, third on the team, and is also third on the team with 1.5 steals per game. Three times this year, Madison scored in double-figures, and she hit her season-high of eleven points in a 52-33 win over Sussex, where she was 4-for-13 from the field and hit a season-high three three-point shots. Against Union, she had three points on 1-for-5 shooting in the loss.
 
Elyse Schuckmann is averaging 2.6 points per game this year, shooting around 28% from the field and hitting around 75% of her free throws this year. Schuckmann is averaging 3.5 rebounds per game this year, fourth on the team. Her season-high six points came in the loss to Brookdale, going 3-for-6 from the field, and dishing out two assists. Against Union, she had two points and two rebounds.
 
The Titans are coached by Jo Hawk, now in her second season with County College of Morris. Hawk's team last year competed at the club level, and now bumped back up to varsity competition for this year. Hawk, formerly Jo Shafer, went to the University of Washington, where she played basketball for the Huskies.  
  
The Match-Up
Tip-off is set for 5:00pm ET inside the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams tipping in game two at 7:00pm ET. Both games will be promoting Gun Violence Awareness throughout the evening. The games are open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the door for both students ($3) and adults ($5). For those who can't make the game, there will be a video livestream available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE, and also via the Region 19 Sports Network. Steve Young will provide the play-by-play, and Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson will provide the color commentary.
 
The next game for the Falcons is another home game, where they will take on the Monroe College Bronx Express on Saturday, January 14^th. That game is set for 3:00pm, as the second game of a doubleheader, with the men's team competing first at 1:00pm.