Box Score 12/10/24

WEST WINDSOR TWP., NJ -- A game that had a little bit of everything came down to free throws in overtime, but it was Lackawanna men's basketball that did enough down the stretch to come out on top, as the Falcons outlasted Mercer County CC, 98-95, in overtime in Region XIX DII men's basketball action at Mercer County CC on Tuesday evening.
 
The Falcons (7-7, 2-3) led an entertaining game 45-40 at the break, and were up 76-71 nearing the six-minute mark of the second half, but the clamps were applied to the basket, as Lackawanna hit a wall trying to score or extend their lead. The game stayed at 76-71 over a few minutes of game time, until Mercer (4-6, 2-3) hit a pair of free throws, then scored a bucket to cut the deficit to one. Jaden McMeekin (Pittsburgh, PA) hit a fallaway jumper on the right side to get the Falcons back in the scoring column, then hit a big three-point shot near the top of the key on the next possession to give Lackawanna what looked to be a crucial four-point lead at 81-77 with under two minutes to go. Mercer battled back, eventually taking the lead late at 84-83, and it looked like Lackawanna would be headed to its fifth-straight defeat.
 
That was not the case, however, as the Falcons battled back to even, tying the game at 84-84, and missing a shot at the buzzer that could have won, sending the contest to overtime. Once there, Lackawanna overcame an early deficit to claim an 88-87 lead 90 seconds into the extra period. It was more or less all free throws from there for the Falcons, which, to this point in the season, had not been Lackawanna's forte. Nevertheless, Lackawanna hit some big shots from the stripe, with Evan Laybourn-Boddie (Scranton, PA), Xavier Spears (East Stroudsburg, PA) and Nick Marabito (Upper Darby, PA) all hitting free throws down the stretch to eventually put the Falcons up 98-95 with under ten seconds to play. The Vikings hustled the ball down the court for a potential tying shot, but the wild look bounced high off the rim and into the waiting arms of the Falcons, who corralled the loose ball and ran out the clock for the OT win.
 
Laybourn-Boddie led all scorers with 22 points, while Marabito added 19 and Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) added ten. Brandon McCain led Mercer with 16 points, while Nasir Collins, Jayson Love, and Joell Idrovo all added 14 points, each.
 
The win snaps a four-game losing streak and gives Lackawanna its second overtime victory of the season. The win moves Lackawanna into fifth place in the Region XIX DII standings, while dropping Mercer into the sixth spot. Lackawanna's next game is a divisional cross-over contest against Sussex County CC on Thursday, December 12^th, when the Falcons welcome the Skylanders into the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET. The game is the final home event of the 2024 portion of the schedule for Lackawanna College athletics.