1/13/25

SCRANTON, Pa. – Playing in its second of four straight home games, Lackawanna College men's basketball returns to Region XIX Division II play on Tuesday, January 14^th, when the Falcons are set to host the Essex County College Wolverines.
 
Tuesday's game is set for a 7:00pm ET tip-off inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and will be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET. The game is open to the public, with tickets being sold at the door for adults ($5) and students ($3). Anyone with a valid Lackawanna College ID will be granted free admission. There will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (9-9, 2-4) bounced back after a loss to Westchester last week with a nice win at home against Rockland CC on Saturday, January 11^th, 90-76. The Lackawanna bench got 58 points, and the Falcons shot 58.8% from the floor in the second half to pull away with the victory. The Falcons only had two players in double-figures, but every player that saw time scored, as 13 different players made the scoresheet for the Falcons. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
The Falcons average 79.4 points per contest, while giving up 76.4. Lackawanna is shooting 39.9% from the field and just 25.6% from downtown. Meanwhile, Lackawanna opponents are hitting 44.8% and 34.1%, respectively. Lackawanna has a + 2.7 rebounding margin, with 43.1 boards per game this year. The Falcons have a 0.9 assist/turnover ratio, with 251 assists vs. 295 turnovers. Lackawanna has forced 304 turnovers so far this season, a 16.9 turnovers per game average, and is averaging 10.7 steals per contest.
 
First-year guard Evan Laybourn-Boddie (Wilkes-Barre, PA) is averaging 16.8 points per game this season, 16th in Region XIX and sixth in Division II. He's shooting 37.2% from the floor and 73.8% from the free throw line. Laybourn-Boddie leads the team with 43 three-point makes, tied for second-most in Region XIX, has dished out 65 assists (3.8 per game), and leads the Falcons with 45 steals this season. Laybourn-Boddie has scored double-digits 14 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 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  back on December 12^th. Evan set his season-high with eleven assists and 17 points in the win against Rockland this past weekend, going 11-for-16 from the free throw line. Against Essex back on November 19^th, Laybourn-Boddie had 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the win.
 
Sophomore guard Shawnn Smith (Philadelphia, PA) is second on the team, averaging 15.4 points per game this season. 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 seven games for Lackawanna College.
 
Sophomore guard Nick Marabito (Upper Darby, PA) is averaging 13.5 points per game this season, third on the team. Marabito is shooting 35% from the floor, and has made 27 threes, second on the team. Marabito is a 74.5% free throw shooter and averages 3.2 rebounds per game this year. Marabito has scored in double-figures ten 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. Marabito had a nice game against Westchester last Thursday, leading the Falcons with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, hitting four three-pointers, and dishing out four assists. He had eight points and three rebounds in the win against Rockland, battling foul trouble. Marabito had 20 points and three rebounds in the win against Essex back in November.
 
Sophomore forward Jireej Cole (Bronx, NY) had a double-double in his first appearance of the year, scoring 16 points and pulling down eleven rebounds against Westchester. Cole shot 7-for-13 from the floor and hit a pair of free throws, while also dishing out two assists in the loss to the Vikings. Cole followed that up with seven points and eight rebounds in the win against Rockland. He's shooting 58.8% from the floor through two games and leads the Falcons at 9.5 rebounds per contest through two games. Cole was not available for the Falcons in the fall.
 
First-year guard Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) had 17 points against Westchester, his first game of the year. Elias shot 6-for-11 from the floor and hit four three-pointers for the Falcons. Against Rockland, Elias had just four points, but had six rebounds and five assists to help the Falcons to the win. Through two games, Elias is shooting 47% and averaging four rebounds a contest through two games, while posting seven assists. Elias was not available for the Falcons in the fall semester.
 
Sophomore forward Zykir Williams (Philadelphia, PA) saw his first action of the year against Rockland on Saturday, scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the victory. Williams had six rebounds and an assist and was instrumental in the second half as the Falcons pulled away. Williams was not available for the Falcons in the fall semester.
 
First-year stretch forward Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) is averaging 9.2 points per contest this year. McIntosh is shooting 42.7% from the floor and averages 3.3 rebounds per contest this season. He also has 14 assists, 15 steals, and a team-high 12 blocks. Noah has scored double-figures in seven games this season, including three straight games just before the new year. 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 the win against Sussex on December 12^th, 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 had nine points and five rebounds in the win against Rockland this past weekend. He is averaging 11.3 points per contest in his last six games, shooting 46.5% from the floor and averaging three rebounds per contest. McIntosh had four points and four rebounds in the win against Essex earlier this season.
 
First-year forward Tyrick Moy (Williamsport, PA) is averaging 7.2 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game this season, second on the team in rebounding. Moy also has 16 assists and is shooting 47% from the floor. Moy has scored double-figures four 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, three rebounds, and one assist in the win against Rockland on Saturday. He had four points and eleven boards in the win against Essex back in November.
 
Sophomore guard Jasier Carter (North Brunswick, NJ) is averaging 7.1 points per game this season, shooting 49.2% from the floor. Carter averages 4.6 rebounds per game and has 21 assists and 14 steals this season. Carter scored a season-high 20 points twice this season, first doing it against Raritan, along with a season-best eight rebounds on December 3^rd. He matched that season-high against Morris back in December, scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds in the loss. He has scored double-figures four times 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. Carter had four points and five rebounds in the win against Rockland on Saturday. He scored six points and had four boards in the win against Essex.
 
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 17-27 in his career at Lackawanna as head coach.
 
About Essex County College
The Wolverines (3-12, 2-4) have been competitive in most of their games this season, with some impressive wins over Morris and Mercer in Region XIX play, but went 1-7 in December and have lost five straight heading into Tuesday night's game. Essex has not played since December 21^st, losing 80-71 at Raritan Valley. Essex trailed by seven at the break, but tied things up at 44-all barely five minutes into the second half, then took the lead on a steal and coast-to-coast lay-up at 14:30 to play. Raritan then hit a crucial 8-0 run over the next three minutes of gameplay to re-take control and the lead. They'd get it to a one-possession game several times from there, but a Raritan three-pointer with under five to go seemed to give the home squad just enough of a lead at 67-61 that the Lions would hold no less than a five-point lead the rest of the way to the win. Essex shot 49.1% from the floor and made 80% of its free throws.
 
Essex is averaging 75.9 points per game this year, shooting at 49.5% from the floor, while hitting around 36.9% from three-point territory. The Wolverines also hit around 69% of their free throws this year. Opponents are scoring 79.2 points per game this season, shooting 44.5% from the field and 36% from downtown. The Wolverines have given up 129 made three-pointers this year. They have a -8.1 rebounding margin, pulling down 34.3 rebounds per game this year. Essex averages 12.3 turnovers per game, while forcing 16.9 on the year. They average just over seven steals per game.
 
Sophomore guard Jaidan Gilzene leads the Wolverines at 15.5 points per game this year. Gilzene is a 56.1% shooter from the floor and averages a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game. Gilzene has hit double-figures in nine games this season, twice matching his season-high of 22 points. He had 22 points and eleven rebounds in the loss to Howard CC on November 9^th, then scored 22 points and put up a season-best 13 rebounds in the win against Mercer on December 7^th. Gilzene has four double-doubles this season. He had six points and five rebounds in the loss to Raritan back in December. Gilzene scored a combined 52 points in two games against Lackawanna last year, including 30 in the 122-120 double OT win at home on January 30^th. He had 20 points and six rebounds in the loss to Lackawanna earlier this season.
 
Sophomore guard Shane Cedres is second on the team at 15.2 points per game, shooting 56.3% from the floor, 44.2% from downtown, and 84.6% from the free throw line. Cedres averages 3.8 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game this year. Cedres has scored in double-figures in ten games this year, including a stretch where he had 30+ points in three straight games in December. His season-best came against Westchester, scoring 34 points on 12-for-14 shooting, while also making nine free throws in the 97-92 loss on December 14^th. Cedres also set his season-high for rebounds in the loss, pulling down eight boards. Cedres had 31 points on 12-for-16 shooting against Harcum on December 10^th, and had 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting, six of which were three-pointers, in a loss to Delaware Tech on December 17^th. Against Raritan, he had eleven points and a pair of rebounds. In the first game against the Falcons in November, he had 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, five rebounds, and four assists.
 
First-year player Ethan Laquindanum is third on the team with 12.7 points per game this season, shooting 47.5% from the floor, 35.3% from downtown, and 78.8% from the free throw line. Laquindanum averages 4.8 rebounds per game, second on the team, and leads Essex with 4.6 assists per contest this year. He also averages a team-high 1.6 steals per contest. Laquindanum has 13 games with ten or more points, getting a season-high 24 points against SUNY Westchester on November 12^th, along with ten assists and eight rebounds. He had ten points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a season-best five steals in the loss to Lackawanna back in November. Against Raritan, he scored 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, grabbing four rebounds and posting seven assists in the loss in December.
 
Sophomore player Johnathan Quiles II is averaging 12.2 points per game this season, shooting 42.9% from the floor, 35.1% from deep, and 91.2% from the charity stripe. Quiles averages 3.6 rebounds per game on the year. He's scored double-figures in six games this season, posting his season-best 31 points in the loss to Delaware Tech, hitting 9-for-18 from the floor and making three three-pointers. In the win at Mercer on December 7^th, he had 24 points, helped by six mad three-pointers, and a season-best nine rebounds in the win against the Vikings. Quiles did not score against Lackawanna in limited action. He had seven points and three rebounds in the loss to Raritan last month.
 
AJ Kemp is the head coach, in his first season at the helm for Essex County College.
 
The Match-Ups
This is the second game between the Wolverines and the Falcons this year. Lackawanna won the first match-up, 87-80, back on November 19^th. The Falcons held a double-digit lead at 63-45 with under 14 minutes to play, but Essex whittled that lead down to four points with six to go, before the Falcons hit big shots down the stretch to win on the road. You can read the recap HERE.
 
Tip for Tuesday's game is set for a 7:00pm ET start inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and will be the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET. The game is open to the public, with tickets being sold at the door for adults ($5) and students ($3). Anyone with a valid Lackawanna College ID will be granted free admission. There will be a pay-per-view video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Lackawanna gets right back in Region XIX DII action on Saturday, January 18^th, when the Falcons are set to host Delaware Tech CC. Tip-off is set for 3:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium as the second game of a doubleheader, with the women's teams competing first at 1:00pm ET.