Springfield, Mo. -- The Friends University Falcons secured an 83-72 victory over the Evangel University Valor in the KCAC opener today (Nov. 16) in Springfield, Mo. The Falcons led most of the way in a statement road win over an Evangel program that advanced to the quarterfinals last year of the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
KJ Spiller led the Falcons with a standout performance, accumulating a team-high 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Spiller hit 10 of 15 shots and secured 12 defensive rebounds. Randy Woolf Jr. contributed significantly by scoring 13 points and leading the team with five assists, hitting 66.7% of his baskets.
Kee'on Hutton added 10 points, making five buckets with a field goal percentage of 45.5%.
Cahlese Lee came off the bench and played a key role defensively, recording two steals, while also scoring 10 points and maintaining a perfect 100% free throw shooting.
The first half between the Falcons and Valor saw a competitive exchange, with Friends leading 44-38 by the end. Early in the half, Evangel's Carson Cavalier hit two consecutive free throws to put his team ahead, but Friends quickly responded with a 3-pointer from
Josh Price. The game featured multiple lead changes, with Evangel's Garrett Davault making a notable impact with both scoring and assisting. As the half progressed, Friends capitalized on Evangel's turnovers and fouls, gradually pulling ahead with key baskets from Price and Spiller.
The second half saw the Falcons establishing a stronger presence early on. They built on their lead with a series of successful free throws and layups, notably from Spiller, including a fast break layup that extended the lead to 56-50. Despite Evangel's attempts to close the gap, including a 3-pointer by Cavalier and consistent efforts from Davault, Friends maintained control to close out the big victory. Overall, Friends outscored Evangel 39-34 in the half, with notable contributions from Woolf Jr. and Deng, who facilitated scoring opportunities and reinforced their defense effectively.
"I'm really proud of the way our guys battled today," said Friends men's basketball head coach
Phil McClintock. "Evangel is a good team and we knew we would have to match their intensity, which I believe we were able to do. We had 24 assists and also won the battle of the boards by double digits. We can be pretty good when we do those two things."
Davault led the Valor with a standout performance, scoring 25 points on 47.6% shooting, including 10 baskets. He also contributed with one block and four assists. Cavalier was notable for his three successful 3-pointers, contributing to his 13-point total and adding four rebounds. Isaac Wootton made a defensive impact with two steals, while Logan Rodgers matched that effort with two steals of his own.
As McClintock noted, the Falcons outrebounded the Valor 39-26, bolstered by a 30-15 edge on the defensive glass.
The defensive effort by Friends was also stout, stifling the Valor to just a 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the field.
Another big challenge awaits the Falcons Wednesday night (Nov. 20) at No. 17-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Tip-off is set for 8 pm in Bartlesville, Okla.
