Box Score 1/20/26
 
RANDOLPH, NJ – A promising early start for Lackawanna College men's basketball went by the boards, as County College of Morris built a double-digit lead and held off the Falcons late, winning 70-62 in Region XIX Division II action on Tuesday night in New Jersey.
 
The Falcons (10-8, 2-4) leapt out to an early through the first few minutes of action, scoring the opening bucket on a nifty pass from Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) to a cutting David Popson (Wilkes-Barre, PA), which ignited an early 12-2 advantage for the visitors. Pejovic had a score off a baseline out-of-bounds, a driving lay-up, and then a long three-pointer from the top to get the Falcons ahead by ten with 14:40 to play in the opening half.
 
Morris (11-7, 4-3) began to cut in, forcing turnovers and playing with pace, slamming home a fast-break with 7:45 to go to get within two at 20-18, then eventually taking the lead with a pair of free throws with 6:41 to go at 22-21.
 
The Titans hit a corner three-pointer with 4:30 to go in the half to go up four, and, after an empty Lackawanna possession, an offensive put-back made it a six-point lead for the Titans with under four to play in the opening half. The Falcons had it within two at 35-33 with 33 seconds remaining, but a Morris finish at the rim, followed by a turnover and a fast-break lay-up before the horn, made it 39-33, Morris, at recess.
 
Morris quickly lengthened the lead to double-digits early in the second half, getting up 43-33, and the lead yo-yo'ed between eight and 12 points over nearly the entire second half. Lackawanna just couldn't string together enough points for a run to get closer. The best Lackawanna could do was a three-pointer from Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) on the right wing, which made it a two-possession game at 67-61. A defensive stop gave the Falcons a chance with the ball and 90 seconds left, but two excellent opportunities at the front of the rim fell to the wayside, and Lackawanna would only get a free throw the rest of the way.
 
Pejovic finished with eleven points for the Falcons, while Kemp came off the bench to score ten points.
 
The loss drops the Falcons to 2-4 in the Region XIX DII standings, with Morris rising to 4-3 and into third place. Lackawanna will next be back to work on Thursday, January 22^nd, with a home contest against Division II #20 SUNY Orange. Tip is set for 7:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and the game is the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET.