2/1/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – For the second straight game, it took an extra period to decide a winner in a game involving Lackawanna College men's basketball. And, for the second straight game, the outcome unfortunately went against the Falcons, as rival Monroe College outlasted the home team 82-73 in one overtime period in front of a raucous crowd in the Lackawanna College Student Union on Thursday evening.
 
After a high-flying first half, the second stanza was tight, physical, and lacking in offense from both squads. The Falcons (8-12) trailed by six a little less than six minutes into the second half, but battled back to even grab a lead with under nine minutes to play. Both teams traded baskets until Joey Chapman (Sophomore; Reading, PA) scored a go-ahead lay-up with just over a minute to go. The Mustangs (18-5) tied the game at 66 with two free throws with 49 seconds remaining. A Falcons turnover looked like it might have meant the end for Lackawanna, but Monroe missed the go-ahead bucket with seven seconds left, and Lackawanna missed a three at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
 
Neither team scored in the first 90 seconds of OT, until the Falcons took the lead on two free throws from Aamir Mack (Sophomore; Atlantic City, NJ), who finished with a game-high 18 points and eight boards. Monroe rallied to take a 74-73 lead, then score the game's final eight points, including an emphatic twisting two-handed slam by Ryan Williams Jr. to close out the tight contest.
 
Mack was joined by Daryl Coleman (Sophomore; Allentown, PA), who also had 18 points, hitting five three-point shots. Jawane Buckner (Sophomore; Wilkes-Barre, PA) and Mason Lawson (Sophomore; Boston, MA) each had ten points, as the Falcons shot 36.9% for the game, and made nine three-pointers.
 
The Mustangs put five players in double-figures, with Stefano Faloppa leading the charge with an impressive 16 points and 16 rebounds. Zatai Townsend had 15 points, while Hassan Washington and Albert Vargas each had eleven points. Ziare Wells added ten points off the bench, as the Mustangs shot 41.7% for the game, and pulled out the win despite shooting just 2-for-20 from three-point range.
 
Lackawanna College returns to Region XIX DII action on Saturday, February 3^rd, when the Falcons are set to travel to take on Middlesex College for a key contest. That game is set for a 3:00pm Et start in Edison, NJ, the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first.