12/17/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's basketball has won its last two games, and will try to make it a trio before the end of the fall semester, as the Falcons are set to travel to take on County College of Morris on Tuesday, December 17^th, in Region XIX Division II men's basketball action.
 
Tuesday night's game is the first encounter of the year between the Titans and the Falcons and is scheduled for a 7:00pm ET tip-off inside the Morris gymnasium in Randolph, NJ. There will be a video livestream available via the CCM Titans Athletics YouTube channel, linked HERE.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (8-7, 2-3) currently sit in fifth place in the Region XIX DII standings, but are one of only three teams with a winning overall record. The Falcons went 2-0 last week, picking up a division win over Mercer County CC in overtime, 98-95, and then knocking off Sussex County CC by a 95-81 score in non-division action. The Falcons shot 48% from the floor and hit eleven three-pointers in the victory over Sussex, getting 32 bench points and putting five players in double-figures. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons average 78.5 points per contest, while giving up 72.9. Lackawanna is shooting 39.5% from the field and just 24.8% from downtown. Meanwhile, the Lackawanna opponents are hitting 44.2% and 32.5%, respectively. Lackawanna has a + 3.9 rebounding margin, with 43.9 boards per game this year. The Falcons have a 0.9 assist/turnover ratio, with 202 assists vs. 234 turnovers. Lackawanna has forced 251 turnovers so far this season, a 16.7 turnovers per game average, and is averaging 11.1 steals per contest.
 
First-year guard Evan Laybourn-Boddie (Wilkes-Barre, PA) is averaging 16.7 points per game this season, 14th in Region XIX and fifth in Division II. He's shooting 36.8% from the floor and 75% from the free throw line. Laybourn-Boddie leads the team with 39 three-point makes, the most in Region XIX, and has dished out 50 assists and leads the Falcons with 39 steals this season. Laybourn-Boddie has scored double-digits 12 times this season, putting up a season-high 28 points in the win against SUNY Onondaga on November 10^th, making eleven shots, four of which were three-pointers, while putting up five steals, four assists, and four rebounds. Laybourn-Boddie had a season-high six assists to go with his 26 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the overtime win against Jamestown. Laybourn-Boddie scored 23 points and set season-highs in three-point makes (5) and rebounds (8), along with five assists in the win against Sussex on Thursday, December 12^th.
 
Sophomore guard Shawnn Smith (Philadelphia, PA) is second on the team, averaging 15.4 points per game this season, which is tenth in Region XIX DII. Smith is shooting 44.9% from the floor and is 22-for-23 from the free throw line. He averages six rebounds per game and has 24 assists, third on the team. He has scored 20 points or more in three games this season and has scored double-figures in nine of ten games he's played. Smith had 23 points and seven rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes, in a loss to Montgomery County CC on November 6^th. He set a season-high with nine rebounds in the loss to PSU Scranton on November 4^th. Smith matched that season-high with nine rebounds against Essex, while also scoring 18 points and dishing out a pair of assists in the win for Lackawanna. Smith matched his season-best with nine rebounds and 15 points, along with a season-high five assists in the loss at Delaware Tech. Smith has not played the last four games for Lackawanna College.
 
Sophomore guard Nick Marabito (Upper Darby, PA) is averaging 14 points per game through his ten appearances this season. Marabito is shooting 33.6% from the floor, and has made 19 threes, second on the team. Marabito is a 73.3% free throw shooter and averages 3.3 rebounds per game this year. Marabito has scored in double-figures nine times this year, with his season-high coming against Mercer County CC on December 10^th, scoring 23 points in the win against the Vikings. Marabito made seven shots from the floor and was 7-for-9 from the free throw line, while also pulling down five rebounds and putting up four steals. Marabito set a season-high for rebounds (6), while scoring 14 points in the loss to Middlesex on December 7^th. Marabito had 13 points, five rebounds, and a season-best eight assists in the win against Sussex last Thursday.
 
First-year stretch forward Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) is fourth on the team with 9.6 points per contest this year. McIntosh is shooting 43.1% from the floor and averages 3.5 rebounds per contest this season. He also has eleven assists, 13 steals, and ten blocks. Noah has scored double-figures in seven games this season, including his last three contests. He has scored his season-high 20 points twice this year, the first coming against Jefferson CC on November 9^th, hitting nine shots and pulling down seven rebounds. The second came in his latest game, the win against Sussex last Thursday, scoring 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. McIntosh set his season-high for rebounds twice this season, pulling down seven boards in the opener against Thaddeus Stevens on November 2^nd, and then grabbing seven boards against Jefferson. McIntosh is averaging 15.3 points in his last three games, shooting 50% from the floor and averaging 3.7 rebounds per contest.
 
First-year forward Tyrick Moy (Williamsport, PA) is averaging 7.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game this season, leading the Falcons in rebounding. Moy also has 15 assists and is shooting 48.4% from the floor. Moy has scored double-figures three times this season, putting up a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds in the win against Jamestown. Moy scored all eight points in overtime for the Falcons. Moy's season-high in rebounding came against Ulster, where he pulled down 12 boards and scored nine points on November 12^th. Moy had four points and eight rebounds in the win against Sussex last Thursday.
 
Sophomore guard Jasier Carter (North Brunswick, NJ) is averaging 6.9 points per game this season, shooting 50% from the floor. Carter averages 4.7 rebounds per game and has 19 assists and 12 steals this season. Carter scored a season-high 20 points against Raritan, along with a season-best eight rebounds against the Lions. He scored double-figures three this season, putting up 14 points against SUNY Ulster on November 12^th, then scoring ten points and matching his season-high rebounds with eight boards against Mercer on Tuesday. He had three points and a pair of assists against Sussex.
 
First-year forward Jaden McMeekin (Pittsburgh, PA) is averaging 4.6 points per game this season. McMeekin is shooting 30.6% from the floor, making 16 three-pointers so far this season. McMeekin averages 4.2 rebounds per contest, with 32 assists and 16 steals this season. McMeekin scored his season-high eleven points in his latest game, dropping eleven points and putting up seven rebounds and three assists in the win against Sussex last Thursday. He had eight points against Mercer County, also putting up his season-best with 12 rebounds against the Vikings. McMeekin set a season-high with five assists against Middlesex last weekend. He has 20 assists in his last five games and has scored as many points in his last two contests (19) as he did in his previous six (19).
 
First-year forward Elijah Smith (Washington, D.C.) is averaging 4.9 points per game this season, and pulling down five rebounds per contest, tied for third on the team. Smith has made nine appearances, shooting 40.9% from the floor. He has scored double-figures twice this season, setting his season-best with 12 points in the loss to Del Tech, where he also had five rebounds in 19 minutes. He set his season-high with 14 boards and nine points in the loss to Harcum on November 21^st. He also had eleven points and four rebounds in the loss to SUNY Niagara back on November 16^th. Smith has not played in the last three games for the Falcons.
 
Head coach Kirk Fallon is in his second season as the head coach, and his fifth overall with Lackawanna College men's basketball. Fallon came to the Falcons after a successful two seasons coaching girls basketball at Susquehanna Community HS. Fallon led the Lady Sabers to back-to-back PIAA District 2 championships and a 40-17 record in his two years. Before that, he was also a college basketball assistant at Keystone College for four seasons, where he was involved a lot of the logistics for the program. Kirk has a Bachelor's degree from Marywood, where he played three seasons for the Pacers. He's a northeast PA native, graduating from Susquehanna as a 1,000-point scorer. Fallon is 16-25 in his career at Lackawanna as head coach.
 
About County College of Morris
The Titans (6-8, 2-2) currently sit in third place in the Region XIX DII standings, winning their last two region games (at Raritan Valley, vs. Delaware Tech) and their last three overall contests. The Titans most recently survived a comeback attempt from Drew University JV last Tuesday, December 10^th, seeing their 13-point halftime lead dwindle to just five points at the end of the game. Morris shot 53.5% from the floor, but shot just 3-for-17 from three-point range. The Titans did place three players in double-figures and had 16 total steals.
 
On the year, Morris is averaging 80.5 points per game, while giving up 80.6 points per contest. The Titans are shooting 43.4% from the field and hitting 30.2% from downtown, while hitting nearly 72% from the free throw line. Their opponents are shooting 44.7% from the floor and are averaging 34.4% from the three-point line. The Titans are -1.6 in rebounding margin, averaging 32.6 rebounds per game on the year. Morris is forcing just over 20 turnovers per game on the year, while only turning it over 12.9 times per game. The Titans average 11.9 steals per game and are rejecting nearly five shots per game.
 
Sophomore guard Jagger Ruiz leads the Titans at 16.4 points per game this season, 18^th in the whole region and eighth in Division II. Ruiz is shooting 50.3% from the floor this season and is a 32.8% shooter from downtown. He's an 84.4% shooter from the free throw line, eighth in the region and fourth in Division II. Ruiz is averaging 3.4 rebounds per game, fourth on the team, and leads the squad with 3.8 assists per game. He also leads the team with 2.6 steals per contest this year. Ruiz has eleven games in double-figures scoring this season, going over 20 points five times this season. His best came in an 89-88 loss to Macomb CC on November 24^th, scoring a season-high 35 points on 9-for-19 shooting and making 13-of-14 free throws. Ruiz set his season-high with six rebounds twice this season, pulling down six boards and scoring 13 points on November 19^th against Middlesex, then pulling down six rebounds against Macomb. He has five games with five or more assists, and put up a season-high seven assists, along with ten points and three rebounds, in the win against Allegany College of Maryland on November 30^th. He had a season-best six steals in the loss to Cecil College on November 16^th. Against Drew JV, Jagger had eight points, four assists, and three rebounds.
 
Sophomore forward Kymani Dunbar is second on the team at 13.4 points per game this season, shooting 49.3% from the field and hitting around 64.3% from the free throw line. Dunbar averages 4.8 rebounds per game, second on the team. He's just under two assists and two steals per game this year. Dunbar has scored double-figures nine times this season, twice going over 20 points. He had a season-high 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting in the win against Cape Fear CC to open the season on November 8^th. He had 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Middlesex on November 19^th. Had scored 18 points and put up a season-high nine rebounds in the win against Delaware Tech on December 7^th. He scored 15 points and put up season-highs in assists (5) and steals (5) against Drew JV last week.
 
First-year forward U-Tyci Brown is third on the team at 12.2 points per game, shooting 44.9% from the floor and 35% from downtown. He's also hitting 75.5% from the free throw line. Brown leads the Titans with 6.7 rebounds per game this season, while dishing out around two assists per game. He's second on the team at 2.5 steals per game this season and is at just under a block per contest. Brown has scored double-figures eight times this season, scoring his season-best 26 points in the season-opener against Cape Fear. He made nine shots and was 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while pulling down eleven rebounds for a double-double. Brown has three double-doubles this season and scored 16 points and had a season-best 14 rebounds in the win against Raritan Valley on December 5^th. He had 12 points, ten rebounds, and a season-high five steals in the win against Allegany College of Maryland on November 30^th. Brown had 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the win against Drew JV last week.
 
Sophomore guard Osagie Osaruese is fourth on the team at 10.9 points per game this season, shooting 48.3% from the floor this year. Osaruese is averaging 65.3% from the free throw line and is averaging 2.6 rebounds per game this season. He has scored double-figures seven times this season, dropping a season-high 27 points in the win against Raritan Valley, where he made eight shots and was 9-for-10 from the free throw line. He tied his season-high in rebounding that game, pulling down five boards. He had two points and a season-high four steals against Howard CC on November 17^th. Osaruese had nine points and a season-best six assists in the win against Drew JV last week.
 
The head coach for the Titans is Anthony Obery, who has been the man in charge since taking over on an interim basis in 2016. Obery is in his ninth season as the head coach, and eleventh season overall with the program at Morris. Obery was an assistant for a season-and-a-half before taking over halfway through the 2015-2016 campaign. He took a 1-11 team and finished with four wins in the second half of the year. Obery had a great year in the 2018-2019 season, taking the Titans to a Region XIX championship and a district game with a 23-5 record. Last year was the most successful in his time at Morris, going 22-8, winning a district championship game to qualify for the national tournament as the #19 seed, and winning a consolation game against Howard CC. Obery is a Mercer County CC graduate, where he played for the Vikings during their NJCAA National Championship game run in the 2009-2010 season. Obery went on to play at Felician University, where he played for two more years and graduated with a degree in criminal justice. Obery is a full-time police officer in the Roselle Police Department, as well as a pastor with the New Bethel Baptist Church. He became a Bishop within the New Bethel Baptist Church in December 2022. He is 119-90 in his time at Morris.
 
The Match-Ups
Morris beat the Falcons twice last season, winning with a strong second-half in Scranton back in December, then ending the Falcons' faint Region XIX playoff hopes with a 102-95 win in Randolph this past February. The Titans have won four of the last six meetings against Lackawanna, dating back to the start of the 2021-2022 season. The games have been tight, with two overtime games and two others decided by seven or less points.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET tip-off inside the Morris gymnasium in Randolph, NJ. There will be a video livestream available via the CCM Titans Athletics YouTube channel, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna will enter its Christmas break after this contest, off for the holidays until a road game in the new year at SUNY Westchester on January 9^th, 2025. Tip is scheduled for 6:00pm ET in Valhalla, NY.