11/16/24
 
SANBORN, NY – A pair of 20-point scorers fueled Lackawanna women's basketball for its 71-59 win against Jamestown CC on Saturday afternoon at the SUNY Niagara Tip-Off Classic in western New York.
 
The Falcons (3-1) got 22 points from Salote Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) and a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds from Ania Crocker (Freeport, NY) to help get Lackawanna the win. The Falcons were excellent in the middle quarters, shooting 48.7% in the second and third quarters combined while out scoring the opposition by a 44-26 margin. The Falcons had a 48-43 rebounding advantage, and forced 18 turnovers, while shooting 38% from the field and scoring 27 second chance points on the day.
 
It was not a great start for Lackawanna, as Jamestown (4-2) outscored the Falcons 10-0 over the final four minutes to take a 14-9 lead after a quarter, holding the Falcons to just 22% shooting. In the second, Crocker really started to come alive, scoring nine points and sparking the Falcons into the lead with a steal and a lay-up at 4:49 to go in the half, giving Lackawanna the 22-20 advantage. Another lay-up made it 24-20, and then it was Franklin's turn, as Salote scored the final eight points of the quarter for the Falcons, including a jumper with four seconds remaining, pushing the Falcons into a 32-24 halftime lead.
 
The third saw Crocker really start to open things up, scoring eleven in the frame and helping the Falcons go 50% from the floor. The lead ballooned to as much as 15 points, and Lackawanna forced five turnovers and had three steals. Jamestown fought back in the fourth, getting things to within seven points with 2:55 to play on a three-pointer, then got a chance to get it to a two-possession game with 2:30 to play. It wasn't meant to be, however, as the Jayhawks missed a three, then the Falcons scored on back-to-back lay-ups from Jayla South (Long Pond, PA) and Crocker, stretching the lead back out to eleven at 67-56 and effectively killing the rally from Jamestown with 1:09 to play.
 
Sophomore Saraiah Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) finished with eight points and 12 boards, along with four assists, while Dunmore grad Sophia Summa got the start and finished with three points, four assists, and a pair of steals. Lackawanna won despite missing its second leading scorer, Desiree White (Carlisle, PA).
 
The Falcons are back to work at Niagara tomorrow afternoon, when Lackawanna takes on DII #17 SUNY Niagara at 12:00pm ET inside the SUNY Niagara gymnasium.