Box Score 11/2/25
 
SANBORN, NY – Four different players scored in double-figures and Lackawanna College men's basketball used a second-half surge to take an 83-75 win against SUNY Erie CC at the SUNY Niagara Tip-Off Classic on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (1-1) fell into a big hole early in the first half, trailing by 15 at one point before closing the gap to as close as two points. Defensive pressure defined the half for both sides.
 
Erie came out firing early, forcing several Lackawanna turnovers and staking itself to a 9-2 lead just over three minutes into the game, forcing a timeout from the Falcons. It got worse before it got better, as the Falcons were still struggling to get the ball down the floor, giving up five more points to fall behind 14-2 with 15:32 to play in the first half. A Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) three-pointer from the top, followed by a Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) pair of free throws, represented the only points for the Falcons over the next four-minute stretch, as Erie extended its advantage to 22-7 at 12:31, forcing another Lackawanna timeout.
 
The constant pressure continued to bother Lackawanna, but the fouls were starting to pile up in the first half against Erie, which had eight team fouls by 10:29 of the first half. Pejovic hit a pair after getting fouled on a rebound, and Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) scored a lay-up, picked off a pass, then hit a streaking Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) for a three-point play on the other end to get the Falcons back to within seven at 24-17 with 9:39 to play in the half.
 
The Falcons were still down double-digits a few minutes later before deploying a full-court zone trap that started to even the odds. As the Lackawanna defensive pressure mounted, the Kats began to struggle to get the ball down the floor, and the lead began to shrink. Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) banged home a three-pointer to get within five, then, after a long two from Erie, Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) hit a three to cut the deficit to four at 33-29 with just over five to go in the half. Another turnover resulted in a nifty behind the back pass from Mark to Elias for a fast-break lay-up, and the Falcons were within two at 4:38 to go in the half. Erie grew that lead back out to six at 44-38 heading into halftime.
 
Erie ballooned the lead back out to double-digits at eleven with 16 minutes to play, leading 55-44 after a corner three-pointer. After a frantic few possessions where both teams had some sloppy turnovers, the Falcons got back-to-back lay-ups from Spears after Kats' turnovers to cut the lead down to 55-48 with 14 minutes to play.
 
Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) swished home a three-pointer, that put the score down to six at 57-51, and McIntosh was fouled trying to hammer home a fast-break, so he settled for two free throws to cut the deficit to 57-53 at the 12:55 point of the half. Kemp hit a runner on the next possession to cut it to two, and the Falcons eventually took their first lead at 61-60 after another turnover let Elias hit a mid-range jumper with 11:30 remaining.
 
Erie was up 64-63 at the midway point of the half, but a Mark steal resulted in a lay-up on the other end to put Lackawanna up 65-64 with just over nine minutes to play. Only one point would be scored over the next three minutes, a Mark free throw, as both teams struggled against the other's defense. McIntosh missed a lay-up with just over six minutes to play, but Mark was there for the put-back to give Lackawanna a 68-64 advantage.
 
Kemp splashed a big three with under five to play that made it 72-65, Falcons, their largest lead of the contest, and he swished home another one that gave the Falcons a ten-point lead with 3:30 to go. McIntosh converted a great feed from Pejovic that put the Falcons up 12 with under three to play, then scored again 40 seconds later off a dish from Elias to keep the Falcons ahead double-digits.
 
Up 79-70 with under two to play, Mark fed a baseline-cutting Kemp to get the Falcons ahead at 81-70, then he hit two free throws to give the Falcons their largest lead at 13 points with a minute to go. Erie's pressure would get them several chances to try to score, but the Falcons managed to hold on for their first win of the 2025-2026 campaign.
 
Kemp led all scorers with 18 points, while Mark finished with 17. McIntosh had 14 points and Spears added eleven for the Falcons.
 
Lackawanna College is back to work on Thursday, November 6^th, with a home contest against PSU Hazleton. Tip-off is set for 6:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.