1/31/26
 
EDISON, NJ – An avalanche of three-pointers in the second half nearly doomed Lackawanna College men's basketball, but the Falcons clamped down defensively and got a big second-half run from Jaksa Pejovic to pull away for the 86-59 win on the road at Middlesex on Saturday afternoon in Region XIX Division II play.
 
The Falcons (12-9, 3-4) were strong on defense through the first half, holding a Middlesex squad that averages 78 per game and shoots 42% from the field to just 24 points in the first half while building a 15-point advantage at the break.
 
The Colts (11-9, 5-3) got to within 43-33 early in the second half, but Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) scored a putback, then hit a transition jumper to get the Falcons up 47-33. After a Middlesex miss, he found a trailing Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) for a three at the top of the key, then hit Jahsan Simms (Hillside, NJ) for an easy lay-up to force a timeout with the Falcons up 52-33.
 
The lead grew out to 20+, as Pejovic turned on the block for an easy finish, hit a free throw, and then a long-range jumper from Elijah Smith (Washington, D.C.) made it 57-33, Falcons, capping a frantic 14-0 run.
 
Just as it looked like Lackawanna would start to pull away, Middlesex rallied. After trailing 61-35, the Colts began to find their footing. A transition bucket turned into a three-point play. Then, a corner three forced a timeout at 61-41. Another three-point play, followed by a steal and a lay-up, and it was suddenly 61-46.
 
A held ball turned the possession back to the Colts, and Middlesex attacked the glass and went to the line to go 1-for-2 and get it to 61-47. Lackawanna finally scored, but Middlesex hit a three-pointer, rebounded a Lackawanna miss, then hit another three to get the deficit down to just ten points at 63-53.
 
Suddenly reeling, Lackawanna looked out of sorts on offense, but the Falcons battled with Middlesex to maintain the lead. Middlesex got it within 66-58 with a few minutes remaining, and it seemed like Lackawanna was on the verge of a monumental collapse.
 
The Falcons would not relinquish so easily, and quickly gained the momentum back. With a ten-point lead at 69-59, Simms drew a crucial charge in the lane to give Lackawanna possession. An empty possession nearly led to disaster, but Mark swiped at the ball to knock it free, Pejovic picked up the loose ball to lead the break, and the big fella fed a streaking Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) for the finish to make it 71-59. Pejovic then drew a foul and hit four free throws in a row, after a technical on Middlesex. A missed three on one end led to a Pejovic bucket on the other, diving to the basket and scoring through a foul. He'd sink another free throw, his seventh-straight point, and it was 78-59, Falcons. A bad miss from three, again, gave the Falcons the ball, and Pejovic sealed the game with a three-ball on the left wing, making it 81-59 and putting a bow on the dominant Lackawanna win.
 
Simms had a career-high 21 points, while Pejovic finished with 20 points. Mark had 16 points for the Falcons.
 
The win further muddies what had been an already jammed Region XIX DII leaderboard. The Colts remain atop the standings at 5-3, just ahead of a Mercer squad (5-3) that upset Essex in overtime earlier in the day. Raritan is still in third (3-2), while Essex (5-4) and Morris (4-5) are in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. Lackawanna is now in sixth place at 3-4, but owns two wins over Middlesex.
 
Lackawanna is right back to region action on Tuesday, February 3^rd, with a crucial Region XIX DII away game at Raritan Valley CC. Tip is set for 7:00pm ET in Branchburg, NJ, and the game is the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET. The game is the first of two games that the Falcons and Lions will play over the next nine days.