Box Score 2/17/26
 
NEWARK, NJ – After losing a halftime lead, Lackawanna College men's basketball played an inspired final nine minutes, turning a deficit into an emphatic road win, 93-87, over Essex County College in Region XIX Division II play on Tuesday night in New Jersey.
 
The Falcons (15-13, 6-6) led 45-39 at halftime, but found the lead slipping away from the start of the second half, as Essex (12-15, 5-6) closed the gap and then took the lead on a lay-up inside, making it 50-49 with under 16 minutes to play. the teams traded baskets back-and-forth, with the Falcons reclaiming the lead through some nice transition play. David Popson (Wilkes-Barre, PA) finished off a fast-break to make it 55-52, Falcons, with just over 13 minutes to play, but Essex hit back-to-back three-pointers to go back in front at 57-55.
 
Past the midway point, Lackawanna had looked like it hit the wall, offensively. After a Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) jumper cut the deficit to 61-59, Essex hit a long three-pointer with under eleven to go, then hit another with 10:30 to play to make it 67-59, their largest lead in the second half.
 
With over nine minutes to go, the deficit was still eight points at 71-63, and the Falcons needed a spark. Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) sank a pair of free throws, and that seemed to give the Falcons the juice they needed to start turning up the heat on both ends of the floor.
 
Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) stole a pass and scored on the run. The Falcons forced another turnover and got fouled, sending Kemp to the line, where he was 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Another steal led to a Lackawanna bucket, as Matthew Nora (Houston, TX) converted a baseline reverse to get the Falcons within a point at 71-70. Another empty possession for the Wolverines gave the ball back to the Falcons, and Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) executed a perfect give-and-go with Spears, converting the lay-up to put the Falcons up 72-71 with under seven to play. Pejovic hit a right-wing three-ball a few possessions later to put the Falcons up four, and Essex used a timeout to try to stop the 12-0 run from the Falcons, but the Falcons put another two points on the other side of the stoppage, when Kemp forced a turnover and fed a streaking Nora for two-handed stuff in transition, giving the Falcons a six-point lead with over five minutes to play.
 
Essex finally scored with 4:30 to go, but Pejovic blew past his defender for a right-handed finish to answer. Nora scored on an excellent drive to give the Falcons their largest lead of the second half at 81-73 with 3:30 to play.
 
Over the final three minutes, both teams were making tough shots, but it was Lackawanna that maintained its lead. A Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) lay-up was answered with a three-point play from the Wolverines with just over two minutes to play. Elias scored on a back-door cut on the baseline, and Essex got an offensive board and a put-back. Pejovic hit a baseline jumper for two, but Essex answered with a corner three-ball to get within four with under a minute to play. Pejovic scored on a long pass to beat pressure, but Essex scored another three-point play with 40 seconds left to get within three.
 
It wouldn't be enough for the Wolverines, however, as Lackawanna hit free throws down the stretch to maintain its lead and secure a third-straight region victory. Spears led the way with 18 points, while Pejovic had 16, Mark had 12, and Elias scored eleven for the Falcons.
 
The win pushes Lackawanna's region record to 6-6, securing a .500 record for Lackawanna and a playoff berth. The region standings have the Falcons currently in the fifth spot, which would mean Lackawanna would play at County College of Morris in a first-round game next Tuesday, if the standings hold. There is one more region game remaining on the schedule, and it could impact the Falcons' seed, as Essex (5-6) must play Raritan Valley (6-5). A win for Essex would put four teams with a 6-6 region record, forcing the four teams to play first-round games on Tuesday.
 
For now, the Falcons can focus on finishing their regular season contest with two more games this week. The first is a non-region home contest against Monroe University on Thursday, February 19^th. Tip is set for 7:00pm ET inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium, and the Falcons will be recognizing their sophomores for the final time as a program. The game is the second of a doubleheader, with the women's teams playing first at 5:00pm ET.
 
Lackawanna will wrap up its regular season schedule with an away game on Saturday, February 21^st, at Cecil College in Maryland. Tip for that game is at 3:00pm ET.