1/28/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's basketball struggled scoring the ball and went the final two minutes without a bucket, falling at home to SUNY Westchester CC in non-region action, 76-68, on Wednesday evening inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.
 
The Falcons (11-9) initially looked to have survived a six-minute scoreless stretch in the second half, using a 9-0 run to overcome a 68-59 deficit with 6:30 remaining. David Popson (Wilkes-Barre, PA) ended the drought with a strong put-back through contact, converting a three-point play to get the Falcons within six. Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) went to the line and hit a pair of free throws to get within four, then Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) scored on a lay-up on the block to get it to two, then scored two more free throws to tie the game with 2:13 remaining.
 
Unfortunately, that would be the end of the points for Lackawanna, as the visitors from Westchester (8-15) calmly pulled away for the win. A put-back off a miss made it 70-68, Vikings with 1:14 to play. After a miss from the Falcons and a timeout, the Vikings penetrated the Lackawanna defense, then kicked out for a backbreaking three-ball to make it 73-68 with 44 seconds to play. Another empty Lackawanna possession led to a foul by the Falcons, and Westchester connected on three free-throws down the stretch to get the game to its final margin.
 
Lackawanna took an early 15-8 advantage through the first seven minutes, but a 10-3 run from Westchester tied the game at 18 with eleven minutes to play in the half. The teams battled back-and-forth until Lackawanna led 29-24 after Popson scored a free throw with 7:25 to play in the half, but Westchester then hit a key 13-0 run, which included back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to go ahead 37-29 with 3:55 left in the half. It was nearly four minutes of scoreless ball from Lackawanna, but the Falcons quickly hit a 10-0 burst, topped by a Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) three-ball to make it 39-37 with 1:09 to go in the half. Westchester managed to tie the game at 39 before the break, setting up the see-saw second half.
 
Westchester shot 41% from the floor and hit ten three-pointers, while going 14-for-18 from the free throw line. The Vikings forced 22 turnovers and scored 24 points. Isaac Turay scored 17 points and had six rebounds, while Lucas Feliciano came off the bench to score 15 points, hitting four three-pointers.
 
The Falcons shot 48% from the field in the first half, but just 28% from the floor in the second. The Falcons were 2-for-16 from downtown in the second half. Pejovic led the squad with ten points and nine rebounds, while Elias had nine points and five boards. Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) came off the bench to score nine points.
 
Lackawanna College will look to get back to its winning ways with an important road region contest on Saturday, January 31^st, as the Falcons travel to take on Middlesex College. Tip is set for 3:00pm ET, and the game is the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 1:00pm ET in Edison, NJ.