2/21/26
 
NORTH EAST, MD – A furious second half rally nearly led to an incredible road triumph, but Lackawanna College men's basketball ran out of gas in the second overtime in a 97-87 loss to Cecil College on Saturday afternoon in an entertaining non-region contest in Maryland.
 
The Falcons (15-15) had a sluggish first half and struggled to try to make up ground, trailing by 19 points in the first half, and 17 points just one minute into the second half. Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) and Jahsan Simms (Hillside, NJ) combined for 23 second half points, helping to will the Falcons back into the game. Trailing 59-46 with under 14 minutes to play, the Falcons went on a 14-5 run, highlighted by a three-point play from Simms, a dunk from Matthew Nora (Houston, TX), and back-to-back three-pointers from Elias and Jaksa Pejovic (Podgorica, Montenegro). Simms scored a lay-up with 9:14 to play to get the Falcons within 64-60.
 
The Seahawks (13-14) recovered to go on a 6-2 run to get back in front at 70-62 with seven minutes to play, but the Falcons closed to within 72-69 with under four minutes to go. They still trailed 74-71 with under a minute to play, when a turnover by Cecil led to a corner three-ball from Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY), tying the game at 74 with 41 seconds to play. Lackawanna had the ball with a chance to win with six seconds remaining, but a turnover sent the game to overtime.
 
In the first overtime, Cecil led by three with a minute to play. Nora was 1-for-2 at the free throw line, getting the Falcons within 82-80. Cecil missed a three-pointer, and Khalil Kemp (Philadelphia, PA) led a fast-break, feeding Simms for a game-tying lay-up with 15 seconds to go. The Seahawks threw a ball directly at Kemp with under six seconds remaining, and he blazed down the length of the floor and hoisted a floater before the horn, but the shot missed and the game went to a second overtime period.
 
By that point, the Falcons were out of gas, and it showed in the second extra period, shooting just 2-for-12 from the floor and committing seven fouls, which gave the Seahawks plenty of chances at the charity stripe. Cecil was 13-for-16 from the line in the second OT, and the Seahawks outscored Lackawanna 15-5 in the final period for the win.
 
Cecil shot 44% from the floor and went 23-for-34 from the free throw line. The Seahawks committed 26 turnovers, but dominated the glass, outrebounding the Falcons 61-39. The Seahawks had four players in double-figures, with Marcus Edmond Jr. leading the way with 23 points and eleven rebounds. BJ Spencer added 18 points and 12 boards. David Maker scored 19 points and had five assists.
 
Lackawanna shot 40% from the floor, but went 7-for-25 from downtown and was just 14-for-23 on the free throw line, including 7-for-13 in the second half. Simms led four players in double-figures, scoring 19 points and grabbing ten rebounds for the double-double. Elias and Pejovic each scored 14 points, and Kemp had eleven points off the bench.
 
The Falcons will now turn their focus to the Region XIX Division II playoffs, which starts for Lackawanna College on Tuesday, February 24^th, as the Falcons travel to take on County College of Morris in a first-round match-up. Tip is set for 6:30pm ET inside the County College of Morris gymnasium in Randolph, NJ. The winner will advance to the Region XIX DII Final Four, happening on Thursday, February 26^th and hosted by Lackawanna College in the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.