Commodores Miss Chance At Region Championship 3-Peat vs. Owens

February 24, 2024 - - The Lorain County Community College men's basketball team's bid for a third consecutive NJCAA DIII Region 12 title was ended Saturday afternoon in Perrysburg, Ohio as the Owens Community College Express took an 11-point lead into halftime and eventually pulled away, 90-77.

Top Commodores

Jayden Maxwell (Chicago, Ill./Buchtel CLC) – 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists

Tavion Pride (Cleveland, Ohio/Aurora HS) -  21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Tiyorne Coleman (New York City, N.Y./Bunnell HS) – 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

Deonte Benejan (Queens, N.Y./Lorain HS) –  13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Abdulaziz Sesay (Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa) – 10 rebounds

Recap

LCCC (5-23) came into the contest having won the previous meeting against the Owens (8-18) on February 14, but they fell behind in the opening minutes, 15-5.  LCCC's free throw shooting kept them in the contest (9-for-12) offsetting their offensive woes from the field (7-for-24).  Jayden Maxwell led the Commodores in scoring with 11 first-half points.

LCCC did their best to keep the deficit manageable, outrebounding Owens 43-34, but the Express went red hot from the field in the second half, 18-for-27, quelling any chance of Commodore comeback.

Notes

• LCCC shot 33% from the field.
• LCCC's 26 free throws made were a season high for LCCC and the ninth time they've made 20+
• Tavion Pride's 21-point performance is the eighth time this season he has scored 20+
• Maxwell's 24 were a team-high and the seventh time scoring 20+ in 2023-24
• Sesay finishes his LCCC career with his sixth 10+ rebounding game of his career
• Maxwell's 10 made free throws are the second time this season he has hit 10

Tiyorne Coleman's eight made free throws are a career-high