11/22/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College women's basketball will look to stay perfect in Region XIX DII play when the Falcons travel south to Delaware for a match-up against Delaware Technical & Community College on Saturday, November 23^rd.
 
The game is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00pm ET and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams competing afterwards at 3:00pm ET. The games will be played inside the Delaware Tech gymnasium on the Stanton Campus in Newark, DE. There will be a video livestream available via the Delaware Tech Athletics YouTube channel, linked HERE.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (5-2, 2-0) come into the weekend after an emotional lift on Thursday night, where Lackawanna College knocked off nationally ranked Harcum College by a 76-72 margin. The Bears were ranked #13 in the latest NJCAA Division II polls, and came back from down seven to take a four-point lead early in the fourth, but Lackawanna got 13 points in the fourth from Saraiah Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) alone to help boost the Falcons to the win. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
Through seven games, the Falcons are averaging 75.6 points per game, while giving up 69.9 points per game against. Lackawanna is shooting 37.1% from the floor this season, while shooting 24.5% from three-point range. The Falcons have also struggled from the line, hitting just 57% of their attempts. Lackawanna's opponents are hitting 36% from the floor and have hit 30% of their three-point shots. Lackawanna has a +1.4 rebounding margin, averaging 46.1 boards per game. The Falcons are averaging 18.1 turnovers per game, while forcing 19 per game this year. Lackawanna averages 11.4 steals per contest, while its opponents average 9.6 swipes per game. Lackawanna is averaging 4.3 blocks per game.
 
Sophomore forward Salote Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) leads the team with 18.4 points per game through her seven appearances. Salote is shooting 46.4% from the floor and averages a team-high 11.1 rebounds per game. She also has 14 steals, tied for second on the team. Salote had 30 points in the season-opening victory against CCBC Catonsville back on November 1^st, shooting 13-for-21 from the floor, while pulling down eight rebounds. She set a season-high for rebounds with 18 in the win against Richard Bland College on November 2^nd, putting up 19 points for her first double-double of the season. Salote has scored in double-figures in six of her seven games this year and has four double-doubles on the year. She set a season-high with eight assists in the win against Essex on Tuesday, November 19^th. Franklin had 13 points and eleven rebounds on Thursday night in the win against Harcum, despite fouling out early in the fourth quarter.
 
Sophomore guard Desiree White (Carlisle, PA) is second on the team with 14.7 points per game through her first three, hitting seven three-point shots and shooting 32.6% from the floor to start the season. White averages four rebounds a game and has five steals through her first three contests. Desi has hit double-figures twice this year, scoring her season-high in the loss to Montgomery, where she had 26 points, including four three-pointers and six free throws, along with three steals. Against Catonsville, she had 13 points and four boards. Desi led the team last season, averaging 16.9 points per game and hitting a team-high 40 three-pointers. She did not play in the last four games for the Falcons.
 
Sophomore guard Jayla South (Long Pond, PA) is third on the team with 14.4 points per game this season. South is shooting 31.9% and has made a team-best nine three-point shots through the early going. She averages 6.6 rebounds per game, third on the team, and has 23 assists, tops on the squad, along with 14 steals so far this season. South has scored in double-figures in five games so far this season, scoring her season and career-high with her 42 points against Essex this past Tuesday, making 15 shots and hitting six three-pointers in the win. She also had eight rebounds and season-highs in assists (7) and steals (5). Against Harcum, she had 12 points and four rebounds on a tough 4-for-16 shooting performance.
 
First-year guard Ania Crocker (Freeport, NY) is averaging 14.3 points per game this season, shooting 40.2% from the floor. Crocker is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game and has 18 assists and a team-high 19 steals this year. She's also second on the team with seven rejections this year. Crocker scored her season-high against Jamestown on November 16^th, exploding for 28 points and a season-best 13 rebounds in the win this past Saturday. Crocker went 13-for-23 from the floor. She set a season-high with seven steals against Richard Bland College on November 2^nd, where she also set her season-high with five assists. Crocker matched that season-high with five assists against Essex on Tuesday, scoring 26 points, grabbing five rebounds, and posting four steals in the win. Ania had 15 points and nine rebounds, along with three steals, in the win against Harcum on Thursday night.
 
Sophomore forward E'ternity Aiken (Wilkes-Barre, PA) has 19 points through two games, 15 of which came in the win against Richard Bland College. Aiken is 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the floor and has 14 rebounds through two games. She also has five steals. Aiken had 15 points and eleven boards in the win against Richard Bland College. She also had four steals and a pair of assists. She has missed the last five games for the Falcons.
 
Sophomore forward Saraiah Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) is averaging 8.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game through her seven appearances. Franklin is shooting 48.9% from the floor and has 18 assists on the year. Saraiah had one of her best games of the year against Essex on Tuesday, scoring 14 points and setting a season-high in assists (5), along with matching her season-highs in rebounds (12) and steals (3). Against Harcum, she had a season-best 23 points, scoring 13 in the fourth alone, while going 8-for-9 from the free throw line and pulling down eleven rebounds. She has two double-doubles on the season.
 
Head coach Monica Spence is in her third season at the helm of the Falcons. Spence spent a year as an assistant before taking over the program in 2022. Before her time at Lackawanna, Spence spent time coaching at youth levels and in semi-professional men's basketball. Spence is a Wilkes-Barre native, who played her high school basketball locally at Wilkes-Barre GAR. Spence is 26-27 in her time as the head coach for the Falcons.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
Del Tech (0-6, 0-3) has yet to win a game this year, and has dropped three straight Region XIX DII contests. It's latest was a 113-63 loss to Raritan Valley CC at home this past Tuesday. Raritan put five players in double-figures and shot 51% from the floor, building a 55-25 lead at halftime, and scoring 58 more after the break. Del Tech shot 36.5% from the floor and committed 33 turnovers.
 
Del Tech is averaging just 49.3 points per game this year, while giving up just over 78 per contest. They're shooting 30.5% from the floor and 22% from downtown, while their opponents are hitting 38.2% from the field and 20.8% from deep. Del Tech has a -14.8 rebounding margin this season, averaging 35.5 boards per contest and giving up 50.3 rebounds per game, which includes nearly 22 offensive rebounds per game. Del Tech's opponents average 19 steals per game and force Del Tech to commit 22 turnovers per game this season.
 
First-year player Thailys Torres is averaging 12.3 points per game as the lone player in double-figures this year. Torres shooting 27.5% from the floor and averages a team-high 88.2% from the free throw line. Torres averages 1.3 steals per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. Torres has three games with double-digit points this season, scoring her season-best with 24 points on 8-for-19 shooting against Raritan on Tuesday, hitting a season-high four three-pointers. Torres has twice hit her season-high of five rebounds and had a season-high five steals in a loss to Montgomery College (MD) back on November 9^th.
 
First-year player Amiya Mills is tied for second on the team with 8.8 points per game this season, shooting 27.9% from the floor and hitting 22.4% from downtown. Mills averages 4.7 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 2.5 assists per contest. Mills has scored over ten points twice this season, scoring her season-best 13 points on the road in a loss to Salem CC on November 14^th. She set her season-high in rebounds with seven in the loss to Union College on November 12^th, and most recently set a season-high with four assists against Raritan on Tuesday, while scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
 
First-year player Aniyah Williams is tied with Mills for second, averaging 8.8 points per game this year on 38.3% shooting. Williams averages 6.2 rebounds per game, second on the squad, and averages just under a steal per game and around an assist per contest. Williams has scored in double-figures three times, setting her season-high with 15 points in the loss to Montgomery on November 9^th. She had seven makes in that game, along with seven rebounds. She set her season-high in rebounds with nine against Union on November 12^th, along with a season-high three steals. She had ten points, seven rebounds, and two assists in the loss to Raritan on Tuesday.
 
Tierra Johnson is the lone sophomore on the squad, averaging 7.2 points per contest this year. Johnson is shooting around 30% from the floor and averages a team-high 5.5 assists per game. She also averages three rebounds per game and 1.2 steals per game this year. Johnson scored in double-figures once this season, scoring a season-high 13 points in the loss to RCSJ Gloucester to open the year on November 4^th. She has twice achieved a season-best seven assists, doing it most recently against Raritan on Tuesday, dishing out seven assists, grabbing three rebounds, and scoring eight points in the loss.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Brittany Ford. Ford was originally hired as an assistant before the 2021-2022 season, and helped Del Tech qualify for the Region XIX DII playoffs. Ford stuck with the program through the last two seasons, where numbers forced Del Tech to sit out the back half of the 2022-2023 season, and all of last year. Ford came to Del Tech after spending a few seasons as an assistant coach at Lincoln University, and coaching AAU in both boys and girls basketball in the Philly and northern Delaware areas. Ford played four years of Division I basketball at St. Joe's University and is a Wilmington, DE native.
 
The Match-Ups
Saturday's game between Lackawanna and Delaware Tech is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00pm ET and will be the first game of a doubleheader, with the men's teams competing afterwards at 3:00pm ET. The games will be played inside the Delaware Tech gymnasium on the Stanton Campus in Newark, DE. There will be a video livestream available via the Delaware Tech Athletics YouTube channel, linked HERE.
 
The next game for the Falcons is a big one, hosting the Division II #4 Union College (NJ) Owls on Tuesday, November 26^th, inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. Tip is scheduled for 5:00pm ET in Scranton, PA, and will be the final game for the Falcons before the Thanksgiving holiday break.