The Lowdown: No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Nov. 2 @ 5:30 pm
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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are 1-1 on the young season following a 61-60 loss in the final seconds at Cottey College Thursday evening (Oct. 31) in Nevada, Mo.
Kori Babcock leads the Falcons with 18.5 points per game through two games, with Taylor Jackson averaging a double-double of 14.5 ppg and 11 rebounds. Lauryn McIver is next with 13.0 ppg and a team-leading three assists per game. Newcomer Abigail Barr is also scoring in double-figures at 10.0 ppg and has pulled down a team-high 12.5 rpg.
Scouting the Tigers: The Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers are ranked No. 9 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 poll. The Tigers open their season Friday (Nov. 1) playing another KCAC opponent in Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Okla.
Dakota Wesleyan went 22-11 last year and 14-8 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Tigers also advanced to the NAIA Round of 16 before falling 87-80 to Cumberlands (Ky.).
The Tigers return their four leading scorers from last season in Emma Yost (15.1 ppg), Rylee Rosenquist (10.6 ppg), Isabel Ihnen (9.9 ppg) and Shalayne Nagel (9.8 ppg).
The Series: Dakota Wesleyan won the only matchup on record against the Falcons, 100-70 during the 2017-18 season at a neutral site in Winfield, Kan.
Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston
"We'll get a good read on where we're at as a team at this point in our preseason. We're coming off a tough loss on the road with only a day to prepare. It's good for us because it gives us a feel for what the playoffs are like. Dakota Wesleyan is a tough team with size and the ability to shoot it at all five positions. We will have to guard as a team and bring our best game. We've been playing well at different spots every game. We know we have to put it all together on the same night."
1,000 percent club: With four rebounds in the first quarter of the Friends University Falcons' season opening win over Haskell Indian Nations University (Oct. 25), Taylor Jackson reached 1,000 career rebounds. Jackson also has over 1,000 career points and is the Falcons' modern-era career blocks leader (282).
Building off something great: Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Falcons are coming off their most wins (23) in the past six years. Friends finished last year 23-7 overall and came in third in the KCAC with a 19-3 conference record.
SCHEELS: We are proud to have Scheels as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season! Click HERE for more info on the Scheels store in Wichita.
Falcons by the Numbers
Overall record: 1-1
KCAC: 0-0
Home: 1-0
Road: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-1
70-79 points: 0-0
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 0-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-1
70-79 points: 1-0
80-89 points: 0-0
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 1-0
When trailing at halftime: 0-1
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 0-0
When committing more turnovers: 1-0
When turnovers are even: 0-1
When leading in field-goal percentage: 1-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-1
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 1-0
When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-1
When leading in rebounding: 1-1
When trailing in rebounding: 0-0
When rebounding is even: 0-0
When leading in assists: 1-1
When trailing in assists: 0-0
When assists are even: 0-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Dean Jaderston is in his sixth season at the helm of the Friends University women's basketball program. The Falcon women's basketball program has seen considerable growth under his leadership both on and off the court. Their consistency and competitiveness have led to a 62-31 record over the past three years, including a trip to the KCAC tournament championship game in 2023.
Jaderston brings a wealth of experience to Friends University, having coached for over 30 years (24 years in college and 13 years in high school). On December 13, 2022 he recorded his 300th career collegiate win vs. Tabor College.
As a men's basketball coach Jaderston was a two-time KCAC Coach of the Year. He coached six NAIA All-America performers during his tenure at Sterling College. He also led his teams to two KCAC championships and one KCAC tournament championship.
Prior to taking over at Sterling, Jaderston served in the dual role of men's basketball head coach and assistant athletic director at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL for five seasons.
Before entering the college ranks, he spent eight seasons as both the head girls' basketball and head girls' and boys' tennis coach at Rosemount High School in Rosemount, MN, and 4 years as the head boys' basketball coach at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN.
As an athlete Jaderston was a successful college basketball player at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, MN. He was a four-time all-conference selection while helping the team advance to four national tournaments. He also earned All-America and Academic All-America during his college career. He also competed in tennis for three years at Crown and was a two-time conference singles and three-time conference doubles champion. In 2024 he was inducted into the Crown College Athletic Hall of Fame.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History/Secondary Education from Crown College in 1989 and then completed a Master of Arts in Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy from Adler Graduate School in 1998.
Jaderston and his wife Julie have been married for 37 years and are active in youth and camping ministries. They currently serve as executive directors of a premier summer Christian family conference called Northern Pines of Minnesota. They have three married sons and eight grandchildren.
Jason Christensen is in his 14th season as head coach of the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball program and also serves as the school's Associate Athletic Director for Fundraising and Facilities. Christensen was selected as the GPAC Coach of the Year two years ago and last season guided DWU to the NAIA Round of 16.
Prior to taking the position at DBU, Christensen had an 11-year tenure as a high school basketball coach that included nine seasons for the Mount Vernon HS (S.D.) girls' basketball team. For Mount Vernon, Christensen helped the team win six conference championships, five district titles and four region championships.
Up Next: The Falcons will play a pair of games in Ft. Worth, Texas next weekend, starting on Friday (Nov. 8) vs. the University of North Texas at Dallas at 5 pm.
