1/17/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A decisive run early in the second half gave the Lackawanna College men's basketball squad enough of a cushion to take an 81-67 win against Baltimore City CC in non-region action on Saturday afternoon inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons (10-7) were ahead by five at halftime, but the visiting Panthers (2-15) cut it to one-possession on a pair of free throws early in the second half at 40-37. That was what kickstarted the home side into gear, as Lackawanna ignited a 15-0 run to turn the game into a rout.
 
It started when Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) scored through contact and completed a three-point play. A free throw, followed by a Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) three-ball made it 47-37, Falcons, not even two minutes into the half. Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) added a lay-up after a steal, then Pejovic scored diving to the rim off an assist from Elijah Smith (Washington, D.C.) to make it 51-37. Pejovic followed with another free throw, then hit a three-pointer to make it 55-37 with under 15 to go.
 
The Lackawanna lead reached as high as 21, coming after Matthew Nora (Houston, TX) converted on a driving lay-up in the lane with 9:56 to go, making it 66-45, Falcons. BCCC didn't go quietly, eventually whittling the lead down to eight points with 2:40 to go at 75-67, but Elias scored on a baseline cut, then Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) scored back-to-back buckets to round out the scoring, while the Falcons provided the clamps on defense.
 
Lackawanna held Baltimore City to 34% shooting and outrebounded the visitors 43-27. Lackawanna got 41 points from the bench and shot 53.4% for the game. Four players scored in double-figures for the Falcons, with game-high 13 points from both Pejovic and Jahsan Simms (Hillside, NJ). Elias scored ten, while Petar Perunicic (Serbia) had 13 points and five rebounds in his first game of the season for Lackawanna.
 
The Falcons have now won two-straight contests and are up to ten wins this season. They'll get back to Region XIX DII play on Tuesday, January 20^th, when the Falcons are set to travel to take on the County College of Morris. Tip is set for 7:00pm ET at Morris in Randolph, NJ, and the game will be the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first.