WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons fell behind big early, but had the fortitude to fight back and grind out a 70-66 victory over the McPherson College Bulldogs in their KCAC home opener tonight (Nov. 18) inside the Garvey Center.
The Falcons missed their first eight field-goal attempts and found themselves in an 18-0 hole more than five minutes into the contest.
Tim Barbieri got the Falcons on the board with a three-point play and Christian Williams took over from there, converting a steal into a tomahawk dunk and then nailing two three-pointers to trim the deficit to just seven at 18-11.
Friends still trailed by seven when Drew Patterson connected from the perimeter to jumpstart a 7-2 spurt to make it 31-29.
After a three by Kee'on Hutton cut the McPherson lead to just one, Quinn Collins scored to give the Bulldogs a 37-34 lead at the break.
The Falcons hung close in the early stages of the second half and finally took their first lead of the game on a bucket by Al Emerllahu for a 42-41 edge at the 15:51 mark.
Following multiple lead changes, KJ Spiller came through big with back-to-back threes, one to give the Falcons a lead they wouldn't relinquish and another for a four-point cushion with just 35 seconds left.
With the Falcons clinging to a 68-66 lead, Hutton stepped up and hit two crucial free throws to create the final four-point margin with 16 seconds remaining and complete the comeback for the Falcons.
Spiller wound up with a game-high 19 points for Friends and Williams added 12 points. Spiller led the way with seven rebounds and three assists, with Hutton also recording three helpers. Emerllahu had a team-leading three steals for the Falcons (2-3, 1-1 KCAC).
Collins paced the Bulldogs (5-1, 1-1 KCAC) with 15 points and eight boards, while Owen Braxmeyer scored 13 and also pulled down eight rebounds.
Following their 0-8 start from the floor, the Falcons warmed up and shot 54 percent (27-of-50) from the field during the final 34:30.
The Falcons will be back home Tuesday night (Nov. 21) for a non-conference tilt vs. Haskell Indian Nations University prior to heading into the Thanksgiving break.
Come out and catch the Falcons for a Pre-Thanksgiving matchup, purchase tickets now!
