North Newton, Kan. -- The Friends University Falcons outscored the Bethel College Threshers 43-29 in the second half to pull out a 76-74 victory tonight (Dec. 4) to improve to 3-1 in the KCAC and 6-2 overall.
The Falcons trailed by 12 at the break and were still down six when a pair of threes by
Randy Woolf, Jr. were sandwiched around a score from
Ring Deng to give Friends its first lead since it was 9-8 early in the first half.
A bucket by
KJ Spiller extended the Falcon lead to four with 3:45 left, but the Threshers battled back and tied the score four more times, with the last gridlock coming on two Nick Bonner free throws that made it 74-74.
But Deng stepped to the line and hit the two biggest free throws of his career with two seconds left to send the Falcons to the victory.
"This was a big win for us on the road tonight," said Friends men's basketball
Phil McClintock. "We didn't shoot it very well all night and they played very well in the first half. We stuck to the plan and made enough plays to win."
Bethel took an early advantage with Bonner and Trenton Patterson each contributing 3-pointers, helping the hosts take a 14-9 lead. Friends managed to stay competitive with
Josh Price adding a 3-pointer to narrow the gap to 23-17, but Bethel's consistent scoring, including a 3-pointer from Eli Wiseman, allowed the Threshers to close the half with a 45-33 advantage.
Kee'on Hutton led the Falcons with 22 points, making 7 of 11 shots, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He also contributed three steals and two assists. Spiller added 15 points, shooting 6 for 10 from the field, and securing six rebounds. Woolf, Jr. finished with 10 points and recorded two steals and three assists. Deng contributed nine points, with none bigger than his two game-winning shots at the charity stripe.
Trenton Patterson paced the Threshers (5-5, 1-3 KCAC) with 19 points on seven of eight shooting, including a perfect five for five from beyond the arc. Carmelo Yakubu delivered eight assists and gathered eight boards. Eli Wiseman also scored 12 points and hit four of eight 3-point attempts. Bonner added 15 points, including three of six from long range. Cade Kittrell produced 14 points for Bethel.
**Game Notes:**
- The Falcons will now return home and host Kansas Wesleyan University Saturday evening (Dec. 7) at 5 pm inside the Garvey Center.
