WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons kept battling all night and finally came away with a 92-85 double-overtime victory over the Sterling College Warriors in an intense KCAC matchup tonight (Jan. 13) inside the Garvey Center.
Facing a three-point deficit with 1:56 left in regulation, the Falcons stiffened up on the defensive end and got three straight stops to stay close.
With the score at 71-69, KJ Spiller hit two crucial free throws to tie things up and send the game into the first extra session.
Offense was hard to come by in the first overtime, but the Falcons held a 76-73 lead with 34 seconds left.
Still up 77-75, the Falcons forced a miss with seven seconds remaining, but a putback by Will Thigpen tied the score and a three-pointer by Spiller went just in and out as time expired.
A three by Drew Patterson opened the second overtime period on the right foot and the Falcons built a five-point lead by the 3:55 mark.
Sterling came within three on five occasions down the stretch, but each time the Falcons had an answer, as Deron McDaniel was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line over the final 1:03 to finally put the finishing touches on the victory.
"Tonight was a big win for our guys," said Friends men's basketball head coach Phil McClintock. "Things didn't come easy but we stuck together and found a way to come out on top. We had a lot of different lineups out there that weren't used to playing together, but they bought in defensively and were able to find a way to win."
The Falcons found themselves trailing 16-9 with 13:49 left in the first half, but as was the theme of the night, managed to answer right back when a pair of threes by Patterson helped to even the score.
Sterling charged ahead again with consecutive threes from Brandon Doss and Lucas Briar to take their biggest lead of the game of 27-18 at the 8:14 mark.
Back came the Falcons as five points from Eastyn Ruffin and a three-point play by Steele Chapman capped a 14-5 spurt that later tied the score at 36-36.
The Warriors led by three before another three-point play by Chapman tied the score again until Mooch Austin beat the buzzer with a score inside to give Sterling a 42-40 lead at the break.
In the early stages of the second half, it again appeared the Warriors would separate as a three by Doss stretched the lead back to seven at the 14:26 mark.
It was still a six-point deficit when Spiller bookended an 11-2 burst with a three-point play and bucket in the paint that resulted in the Falcons' first lead since it was 7-6 with 17 minutes left in the first half.
The final six minutes of regulation was fiercely contested, featuring two more gridlocks and neither team holding more than a one-possession lead.
A host of Falcons contributed mightily to the victory, led by a career-high tying 22-point output from Spiller. Patterson was next with 21 points, while Steele Chapman put in career-bests of 18 points and a team-leading nine rebounds. Ruffin also finished with a season-high 10 points for Friends (7-8, 4-6 KCAC).
Austin paced five Warriors (9-6, 5-5 KCAC) in double-figures with 20 points and Briar scored 16. Jimmy Causey, Jr. had 14 points along with team-highs of eight boards and four assists.
Friends outrebounded Sterling 52-43, but were outscored 24-18 in the paint and 12-8 in second chance points.
Next on the docket for the Falcons is a stiff road test at No. 8-ranked and KCAC-leading Oklahoma Wesleyan University Wednesday night (Jan. 17). Tip-off will be at 8 pm in Bartlesville, Okla.
