2/10/24

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Aamir Mack poured in 32 points, but it wasn't enough, as the visiting SUNY Rockland CC Hawks shot the lights out early and hung on late for a 98-91 win over Lackawanna College men's basketball on Saturday afternoon in non-region action at the Lackawanna College Student Union.
 
The Falcons (8-16) trailed by 17 at 73-56 with 13 minutes to go, when Mack (Sophomore; Atlantic City, NJ) hit a two-point jumper that kick-started a quick 8-0 spurt to help the Falcons get within nine. Lackawanna kept chipping away over the next ten minutes of game time, and finally got within a possession after Daryl Coleman (Sophomore; Allentown, PA) converted a three-point play with 2:11 to go. After Coleman's free throw dropped, Lackawanna trailed 93-91, and an illegal screen on the next possession for the visitors gave the Falcons a chance to tie or take the lead with 90 seconds to go. But, it wasn't meant to be, as the Falcons missed a shot on the ensuing possession, and Rockland (12-15) salted things away from there, hitting five-of-six free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
 
Lackawanna shot 41% from the floor and was incredibly efficient at 17-for-19 from the free throw line, but the Falcons were 6-for-31 from downtown, and couldn't stop the offensive onslaught from the Hawks. Mack finished with 32 points and 14 rebounds, and now sits at 975 career points with two games remaining in the regular season. He was one of four players in double-figures for Lackawanna, as Na'Shawn Jones (Sophomore; Paterson, NJ) put up 16 points, Joey Chapman (Sophomore; Reading, PA) added 12, and Coleman scored eleven.
 
Rockland built an early advantage thanks to a scorching 61% from the field in the first half, including six first-half three-pointers. They scored 56 points by halftime, and cooled only slightly after the break, finishing at 52% from the floor and 41% from downtown. Tayejon Lynch had 30 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in a masterful performance, while Emmanuel Barkor had 25 points and Jayden Austin added 15.
 
The Falcons have now dropped six straight games, and eight of their last nine. They have two games remaining, both on the road, and the next game will be Thursday, February 15^th, when the Falcons travel to take on Monroe College in New Rochelle, NY. Tip is scheduled for 7:00pm ET and will be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET.