Box Score 11/23/24
 
NEWARK, Del. – Lackawanna men's basketball put three players in double-figures, but the Falcons couldn't overcome a gutsy performance from Delaware Tech, dropping 74-73 on the road in Region XIX DII play on Saturday afternoon at Delaware Tech.
 
The Falcons (6-5, 1-1) got 15 points from Shawnn Smith (Philadelphia, PA), a season-high 12 points from Elijah Smith (Washington, D.C.), and eleven points from Evan Laybourn-Boddie (Scranton, PA), but struggled to find any consistency on offense.
 
Midway through the first half, Del Tech (4-5, 1-1) swished threes on back-to-back possessions to open up a 28-20 lead. The Falcons answered with a bucket, but another three, followed by a three-point play on an offensive rebound made it 34-22, Del Tech, with under seven minutes to play in the first half.
 
Lackawanna got it back to 37-33 after Nick Marabito (Upper Darby, PA) hit a three-pointer with 3:30 to go in the first, and were still within four at 43-39 at the half, despite the three-point barrage from Delaware Tech.
 
The Falcons fell behind by a 51-41 score a little over two minutes into the second half, but a Jaden McMeekin (Pittsburgh, PA) deep three-pointer cut it back to a 51-44 deficit. The Falcons got it down to five, but Del Tech hit a quick three and a baseline two to go back up 56-46 with about 15:30 to go in the second. That's where the Falcons made their move, as McMeekin hit a runner, Marabito scored six straight points to bring Lackawanna within two points at 13:15. That run continued after a DTCC timeout, when Marabito stole the ball, and Jasier Carter (North Brunswick, NJ) scored on a put-back to tie the game at 56. Lackawanna even took a lead on the next possession, when Steven McKoy (Beverly, NJ) went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, completing an eleven-point turnaround for the Falcons.
 
Both teams traded the lead back-and-forth, but the Falcons seemed to hit a big shot when Elijah Smith scored through contact to make it 61-58, Falcons, with 8:47 to play. The lead grew to five, the largest of the game for the Falcons, when Carter scored on a dive to the basket with just over eight to play, marking a 17-2 run for Lackawanna to that point.
 
Later, Lackawanna extended a narrow lead out to five once again, with Elijah Smith scoring on a feed from Laybourn-Boddie to make it 71-66 with about 3:40 to go. Del Tech scored a bucket to cut it to three, then forced a held ball to get possession back, and scored again to cut the deficit to one with under three minutes to go. The Falcons turned the ball over on a shot clock violation, and Del Tech completed the six-point run with a runner on the right side to take a 72-71 lead with 2:10 to go. Shawnn Smith went 2-for-2 from the line with just under two minutes to go, giving Lackawanna a one-point lead, but DTCC once again got the lead back, hitting a pair of free throws with just over a minute to go that made it 74-73.
 
With a minute to work with, the Falcons missed a long three-point shot, then forced a shot clock violation with 20.7 seconds remaining to get possession back. After advancing the ball and calling a timeout, the Falcons had a sideline out of bounds inbounds pass with 14.5 seconds, still down one. Shawnn Smith surveyed from the top, looked inside to Elijah Smith, and Elijah turned and fired a fallaway that fell short. Both teams fought for the rebound, and Del Tech secured it with one second remaining, calling a timeout. Lackawanna was whistled for an intentional foul before the full-court inbounds, which gave Del Tech two free throws, which were both missed. On the next inbounds, the Falcons fouled again before time came off, this time on a common foul, and both free throws were missed again. Carter got the rebound, but time ran out as he tried to launch a full-court heave.
 
Lackawanna falls to 1-1 in Region XIX DII play with the setback and has now dropped two in a row. Lackawanna College will be back to work after the Thanksgiving holiday on Tuesday, December 3^rd, when the Falcons travel to take on Raritan Valley CC in Branchburg, NJ. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET.