KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Taylor Jackson and Rayland Garner, the two current KCAC Players of the Week, looked the part tonight (Jan. 10) in leading the Friends University Falcons to a 78-65 road victory at the Avila University Eagles in Kansas City, Mo. Friends is now 10-5 overall on the season and remain in the third spot in the KCAC with a 7-2 league record.
The Falcons had to fight off a tough first quarter that saw them trail by nine after shooting just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from the floor.
After twice trailing by 11 in the second period, a three-point play by Garner ignited the Falcons and jumpstarted an 11-0 spurt that provided Friends its first lead of the night.
Following five lead changes down the stretch of the first half, a layup by Kori Babock as the second quarter wound down put the Falcons on top 38-37 at the break.
The Falcons then held the Eagles scoreless for more than three and a half minutes of the third quarter and took a five-point lead on layups from Jackson and Garner.
The advantage for the Falcons continued to grow throughout the third period and stretched into double-figures when Trinity Johnson connected from three-point distance to make it 56-44 at the 4:26 mark.
The Falcons pushed the lead as high as 15 in the third before settling for a 63-50 edge heading to the fourth.
A three-point play by Anastasia Wright temporarily brought the Eagles within single-digits at 65-56, but another three by Johnson quickly established the Falcon lead back into double-figures.
With the lead hovering at 10 points, six points from Jackson keyed an 8-2 spurt that sealed the victory for the Falcons with 2:40 left in the game.
"Avila was a tough team and unbeaten at home (in conference) so we knew we needed to bring our best game," said Friends women's basketball head coach Dean Jaderston. "Once we settled down and started playing inside-out we took advantage of our matchups and turned the game around. Our team also made some good adjustments defensively, holding them to one three-pointer in the second half."
Jackson, the reigning KCAC Defensive Player of the Week, delivered on both ends tonight with a season-high 23 points along with a team-leading nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Garner, this week's top KCAC offensive performer, scored 20 points and recorded four steals for the second straight game and sixth time overall this season.
The Falcons also got a solid all-around game from Lauryn McIver, who delivered 12 points, a career-high tying seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Avila (5-10, 4-5 KCAC) was led by 12 points off the bench from Madilyn Melton, while Hannah Smith scored 10 with six assists and Hannah Pinkston also had 10 points and 11 boards.
The Falcons held a 47-35 edge on the glass and limited the Eagles to just a 25.8 percent (8-of-31) clip in the second half.
Next up for the Falcons is a home game vs. Sterling College Saturday evening (Jan. 13) at 5 pm inside the Garvey Center.
Purchase tickets NOW to catch the Falcons at home Saturday night!
