Springfield, Mo. – The Friends University Falcons pulled out a hard-fought defensive battle 47-45 over the Evangel University Valor for their fourth straight KCAC opening victory today (Nov. 16) in Springfield, Mo.
The win also evens the Falcons overall record at 3-3 on the season.
Trailing 44-41 with 1:28 left, Taylor Jackson made a layup and then put back her own miss to put Friends on top by one with 29 seconds remaining.
Jackson then emerged on the defensive end not with one of her characteristic blocked shots, but with a steal on the Valor's next possession.
Kori Babcock then stepped up and hit two critical free throws to push the Falcon lead to three.
With the lead at three, the Falcons unsurprisingly chose to foul with 4.6 seconds left.
Micah Clayton made the first free throw, missed the second intentionally and garnered her own rebound, but missed a jumper in the final seconds to allow the Falcons to hang on for the victory.
The Falcons shot just 29.1 percent (16-of-55) and 1-of-12 from three-point range but overcame that by limiting the Valor to just 26.9 percent (18-of-67) from the floor and a 13 percent (3-of-23) clip from beyond the arc.
"What a superb defensive effort!" said Friends women's basketball head coach Dean Jaderston. "To struggle like we did shooting the ball on the road and still getting out with a win shows how our defensive mindset is taking shape. We just have to figure out how to get our offensive game going."
The Falcons had built an eight-point lead of 15-7 in the first quarter, but a three-point play by Carson Dillard closed out a 7-0 run by Evangel that trimmed the lead to just one heading to the second period.
Evangel extended that run up to 14-2 to jump ahead by four at 21-17 two minutes into the second quarter.
The Falcons responded with a jumper by Abigail Barr and a three from Sadi Hopman to regain a 24-23 lead they would carry into the break.
The defensive struggle continued into the third period, with neither team able to score until Lauryn McIver hit a jumper for the Falcons 2:41 after halftime.
Points remained hard to come by and a layup by Dillard put Evangel up 31-30 going to the fourth.
After a layup by Kyla Frenchers to start the fourth gave the Falcons a one-point edge, two free throws by Dillard continued the back-and-forth battle. The game was tied at 38-38 a short time later, but the Falcons wouldn't lead again until the final surge by Jackson.
Jackson led the Falcons with a powerful double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds along with three blocks and a pair of steals. Barr added 13 points and nine boards for Friends.
Ali Kamies paced the Valor with 14 points, while Kamie Jenkins pulled down 14 rebounds.
The Falcons held a rebounding advantage of 45-35 overall, with a 29-20 edge on the defensive glass.
Up next, the Falcons will play at Oklahoma Wesleyan University Wednesday evening (Nov. 20) at 6 pm in Bartlesville, Okla.
