2/5/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's basketball overcame an 18-point deficit and put six players in double-figures, but the Falcons couldn't get themselves over the hump, dropping a narrow 89-86 decision to SUNY Rockland CC in a non-region contest inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium on Thursday evening.
 
The Falcons (12-11) recovered from a big deficit, down 18 at one point in the first half, to get within six at halftime, then tied the game at 45 within the first minute of the second half. The visiting Hawks (17-7) quickly answered, stretching their lead back out to ten at 58-48 with 15 minutes to play, but the Falcons broke through with a 14-0 run in four minutes of action. Matthew Nora (Houston, TX) scored six points in the surge, while David Popson (Wilkes-Barre, PA) added four during the run. Nora hit back-to-back free throws to give the Falcons the lead, and Latrell Mark (Frederick, MD) capped the streak with a two-handed stuff in transition to make it 62-58, Lackawanna.
 
Popson, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half, had a flying dunk at the nine-minute mark that got the crowd fired up, and the Falcons eventually stretched the lead out to five at 74-69 with eight minutes remaining.
 
Rockland eventually started to make some inroads, reclaiming the lead with under six minutes to play, taking a 77-76 lead. The Hawks went up by six at 84-78 with under four minutes remaining, but the Falcons made one final push, getting within 84-83 after a Noah Elias (Silver Spring, MD) three-pointer, then cutting close again after Xavier Spears (Brooklyn, NY) buried a long three with 13 seconds remaining to make it 87-86, Rockland. The Hawks scored two free throws to get ahead by three, and the Falcons had the ball in the front court with seven seconds remaining. Elias got a shot off in the left corner, but it fell just short of the rim, and the Hawks managed to escape.
 
In the first half, Lackawanna struggled, falling behind 32-14 through the first ten minutes to the hot-shooting Hawks. Rockland hit five three-pointers and nine free throws through those first few minutes, attacking the rim and penetrating the Lackawanna defense.
 
Lackawanna began to chip away, getting within 12 points twice, but each time, Rockland expanded the lead back out. Rockland led 42-26 with four minutes to go in the half, the Falcons got things within 12 again, then got it inside of ten with a three-pointer from Mark with under a minute to play. Two free-throws from Spears made it 44-37 with 28 seconds remaining in the half, and Jahsan Simms (Hillside, NJ) scored a bucket with 20 seconds to go, after a free throw from Rockland, to get it to 45-39 heading into halftime, setting up the dramatic second half.
 
Rockland shot a consistent 43.5% from the field and from the three-point line, hitting ten three-pointers and making 19 free throws in a game that featured 41 combined team fouls. The Hawks shot 53% from the floor in the second half. Three players scored in double-figures, including a game-high 24 points and 20 rebounds from Jaden Chavis. Channer Duke scored 19 points, despite fouling out, and Sam Acevedo scored 15 points, going 8-for-14 from the free throw line.
 
Lackawanna scored 29 bench points and shot 41.2% from the floor, including nearly 46% in the second half. The Falcons only made two three-pointers in the second stanza, going 2-for-10, and those only came late in the contest. The Falcons put six players in double-figures, getting a team-high 19 points from Spears off the bench, hitting five three-pointers and grabbing nine rebounds. Elias added 16 points and seven boards, while Mark and Simms each scored 14 points. Popson had 12 points and four boards, while Nora added ten points off the bench.
 
The Falcons have lost two-straight games, and will look to bounce back with a road contest this Saturday, February 7^th, taking on Division I Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm ET, with the women's teams playing first at 12:00pm ET in the doubleheader.