The Lowdown: (RV) Columbia College at Friends University

Location: Garvey Center

When: Tuesday, Dec. 17 @ 5:00 pm

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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons secured their second straight victory in an 83-52 win over McPherson College last Saturday (Dec. 14) inside the Garvey Center. Taylor Jackson and Abigail Barr each posted a double-double in the win for the Falcons, who are now 7-5 overall and tied for third in the KCAC at 5-2 in the league.  Read the full recap vs. McPherson HERE!  

Taylor Jackson is averaging a double-double of 14.1 points per game and a KCAC-leading 12.2 rebounds this season. Jackson has also swatted a league-leading 1.6 blocks per game.

Lauryn McIver is second in scoring with 13.8 ppg and has recorded a team-leading 3.2 assists this season, while Kori Babcock (12.3 ppg) and Barr (12.3 ppg) are also averaging double-figure points. Babcock leads the Falcons with 27 threes and Barr is second on the team and third in the KCAC in rebounds (9.0 rpg).

Scouting the Cougars: The (RV) Columbia College Cougars compete in the American Midwest Conference and are 10-0 this season and 6-0 in conference action. This will be the third KCAC opponent for Columbia this season, as the Cougars have wins over Saint Mary (74-65) and Ottawa (73-62) thus far.

Mallory Shetley is tops on the Cougars in both points (14.8 ppg) and rebounds (7.2 rpg), with Lexi Miller right behind at 14.2 ppg and a team-high 26 threes on the season. Mya Miller is scoring 10.3 ppg and leads the AMC in field-goal percentage (65.6). Abby Backes has recorded a team-leading 3.8 assists for Columbia.

The Series: The Cougars won 74-49 at home last season over the Falcons in the only meeting on record between the two schools.              

Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston 

"Today should be a great game! Columbia is one of the most skilled teams we'll play this year. They shoot the three very well and have a number of players who can attack you off the dribble or in the post. We have to take care of the ball, guard the three, and be aggressive at the offensive end."

She's so defensive: Taylor Jackson is the Falcons' modern-era blocks leader with 297 career swats and is at it again this season, ranking first in the KCAC in both rebounds (12.2 rpg) and blocks (1.6 bpg).

Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 7-2 when outshooting the opposition but have lost all three games that the opponent holds a higher shooting percentage.

Boarding School: The Falcons have controlled the glass this season, outrebounding the opposition in 10 of 12 games thus far, including 10 of 11 games when Taylor Jackson plays.

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: 7-5

KCAC: 5-2

Home: 3-2

Road: 3-3

Neutral: 1-0

When scoring:                                         

Under 50 points: 1-1

50-59 points: 0-0

60-69 points: 3-4

70-79 points: 0-0

80-89 points: 3-0

90+ points: 0-0

When allowing:

Under 50 points: 1-0

50-59 points: 4-1

60-69 points: 0-1

70-79 points: 1-3

80-89 points: 1-0

90+ points: 0-0 

When leading at halftime: 5-2

When trailing at halftime: 1-3

When tied at halftime: 1-0

When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0

When committing more turnovers: 5-3

When turnovers are even: 1-2

When leading in field-goal percentage: 7-2

When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-3

When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0

When leading in three-point percentage: 4-1

When trailing in three-point percentage: 3-4

When leading in rebounding: 7-3

When trailing in rebounding: 0-2

When rebounding is even: 0-0

When leading in assists: 4-2

When trailing in assists: 2-2

When assists are even: 1-1

In OT: 1-0

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 brought 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.

Matt Moore is currently the interim head coach of the Columbia (Mo.) College women's basketball program. Moore was an assistant coach at Columbia for three seasons prior to taking over this role.

In his first season with the program, Moore helped the Cougars win the AMC tournament championship and record a 26-7 overall record and a 16-2 conference mark.

Prior to arriving at Columbia, Moore had assistant coaching stops at St. Louis Community College and Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. while also serving as a lead manager at Southeast Missouri State University.

Up Next: The Falcons will take time off for the Christmas Break before resuming KCAC action at Ottawa University on Jan. 4 in Ottawa, Kan.