Commodores Slow Start Leads To Owens Win

February 13, 2025 - - The Lorain County Community College men's basketball team honored its three sophomores—Rashaud Finley (Cleveland, Ohio/Bard HS), Corey Jones Jr. (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview HS), and Deonte Benejan (Queens, New York/Lorain HS)—before tipoff but couldn't overcome a slow start, ultimately falling to Owens Community College 100-74 at the Ewing Activities Center Gymnasium on Thursday night.

The Commodores (2-26, 2-13) found themselves in an early hole as Owens (11-14, 8-6) jumped out to a commanding 17-1 lead before Kayden Thomas knocked down LCCC's first field goal five minutes into the game. Despite the tough start, LCCC responded with strong defensive intensity, holding the Express to just 11 points over the next ten minutes. A pair of layups from Dejahn Smith (Cleveland, Ohio/Rhodes College) and a bucket by Finley cut the deficit to six at 24-18 with five minutes left in the opening half.

Benejan connected from deep at the 3:21 mark to keep the Commodores within striking distance, but Owens held a 41-31 advantage heading into halftime.

The second half started with a decisive 10-0 run by Owens, stretching their lead to 51-31. From there, the Express never looked back. LCCC fought until the final buzzer, getting a team-high 19 points from Benejan, while Finley added 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Next Up:

With the win, the Express secured home-court advantage in the NJCAA Region 12 Championship on February 19, 2024. LCCC's final regular-season game will be against Edison State Community College on Saturday, February 15, 2025, in Piqua, Ohio with an 11 a.m. tip off.