Box Score 11/9/25
 
SYRACUSE, NY – Struggling from the field and in danger of seeing a three-game winning streak come to a close, Lackawanna College men's basketball dug deep and reversed a deficit inside the final three minutes to knock off SUNY Onondaga, 64-61, on Sunday evening at the Lazer Tip-Off Classic at the SRC Arena and Events Center at Onondaga.
 
The Falcons (4-1) couldn't quite pull away throughout the contest and saw their six-point halftime lead evaporate as the hosts held Lackawanna to just a free throw through the first seven-and-a-half minutes. By that time, the Falcons were down 41-35, and facing mounting pressure. The deficit grew to as many as eight in the second half, before Lackawanna began to make inroads and chip away.
 
Late in the second half, the Falcons were trailing 59-56 with just over two minutes to play, in search of a spark. They found that in the form of Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD). A near-basket by Onondaga was wiped off the board because of an offensive goaltending call. Working against a zone on offense, an entry pass to Elijah Smith (Washington, D.C.) was immediately kicked out to Elias on the left wing, where he swished home a three-ball to tie the game at 59 with 1:59 to play. After a turnover form the Lazers, the Falcons got it into Smith again, who quickly whipped it back out to Elias a little deeper in the left corner, but it didn't matter, as the sophomore banged home the big shot to give the Falcons a three-point lead at 62-59 with 1:34 to play. Those were Noah's only points on the night, but they came at crucial moments.
 
The defense did its job late, with Noah McIntosh (Philadelphia, PA) robbing an entry pass on one possession, and David Popson (Wilkes-Barre, PA) securing a big rebound off a three-point miss with 57 seconds to go.
 
Onondaga (3-1) eventually scored to get within a point with 31 seconds to go, then fouled the Falcons to send sophomore Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) to the line. Spears calmly drained both his free throws to put the Falcons up 64-61. Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) got a key steal with 12 seconds remaining, but couldn't convert his free throw. Onondaga raced into the front court, but the Lazers missed a desperation heave and couldn't get the ball back up at the rim before the buzzer sounded.
 
Mark led the Falcons with 16 points, providing some highlight passes and great defensive steals, while Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) came off the bench to add nine points. Spears finished with seven, Elias provided his big six, and Smith added six off the bench, as well.
 
Lackawanna College is 4-1 to start the season for the first time since 2022. The Falcons now have a nine-day layoff until their next game, a home contest on Tuesday, November 18^th against County College of Morris, their Region XIX DII opener. Tip is set for 7:00pm ET, and the game will be the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.