Box Score 1/30/24
 
NEWARK, NJ – Lackawanna College men's basketball kept answering the bell, time and time again, but the final buzzer went and the Falcons couldn't muster one more response. A three-point shot with time expiring in double overtime hit the back iron, and Lackawanna fell 122-120 to Essex County College in a wild, frantic Region XIX Division II men's basketball contest in New Jersey on Tuesday evening.
 
The Falcons (8-11, 4-5) trailed for most of the night, and were down big at 89-69 with under ten minutes to play. Suddenly, the Falcons' defense came alive, and Lackawanna hit a crucial 12-0 run in about two minutes and thirty seconds of game time to close the gap. An Essex bucket briefly stopped the drought, but Na'Shawn Jones (Sophomore; Paterson, NJ) hit a three for his tenth point of the run, and the Falcons went on another mini run to close their gap to 91-88 with under 5:30 to play, marking a 19-2 scoring streak in just four minutes.
 
Essex (7-11, 2-5) pushed its lead back out to nine at 97-88 with just over 3:30 to play, but the Falcons closed the gap once more until it was 100-99 with under ten seconds remaining. A turnover, coupled with two Essex free throws, gave the Wolverines a 102-99 lead with under six to go, but Pablo Avalos Ortiz (Sophomore; Málaga, Spain) hit a three-point shot from the left wing as time expired to send it to overtime.
 
In the first overtime, both teams battled back-and-forth until Lackawanna took its first lead since very early in the first half, when Mason Lawson (Sophomore; Boston, MA) hit a leaning lay-up with under ten seconds to play. Essex hit two free throws on the other end to tie it at 110-all, and the Falcons missed a three at the horn to move the game to a second overtime.
 
In double OT, Daryl Coleman (Sophomore; Allentown, PA) tied the game at 118 with just under two minutes to play on a three-pointer, and, after two free throws, Lackawanna tied it up once again with just under 50 seconds to go. Essex went 2-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 40 seconds, and Lackawanna, after a brutal turnover, immediately got the ball back and had a sideline out of bounds with under six to play. But, the magic ran out, as Coleman's go-ahead three hit the back iron and skied high, letting the clock run out on an exhausting game.
 
Aamir Mack (Sophomore; Atlantic City, NJ) led the Falcons with another phenomenal game, pouring in 37 points. Coleman had 28, and the Falcons put five players in double-figures, altogether. Essex was led by Koi Kirk Jr.'s 37 points. Jaidan Gilzene added 30 to help the Wolverines.
 
Lackawanna is home on Thursday, February 1^st, when the Falcons are set to host the Monroe College Mustangs. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET at the Lackawanna College Student Union, and the game will be the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams squaring off first at 5:00pm ET.