The Lowdown: Kansas Wesleyan University at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Dec. 7 @ 5 pm
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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are off to a 3-1 start in the KCAC following Wednesday night's (Dec. 4) thrilling 76-74 victory at Bethel College. With the score even at 74-74, Ring Deng stepped and nailed the two biggest free throws of his career with two seconds left to give the Falcons the win. Read the full recap HERE!
KJ Spiller leads the Falcons and is fifth in the KCAC with 17.4 ppg and is also fifth in the league in field-goal percentage (61.6) along with a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game. Randy Woolf, Jr. is scoring 11.6 ppg and has distributed a team-high 3.5 assists with a team-leading 14 threes. Kee'on Hutton (11.1 ppg) and Cahlese Lee (10.5 ppg) are also averaging double-figure scoring for Friends this season.
Scouting the Coyotes: The Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes are 6-4 overall and 1-3 in the KCAC after falling 76-72 to Sterling College at home on Wednesday.
Alex Littlejohn anchors the Coyotes and is fourth in the KCAC in scoring (17.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (10.8 rpg) while recording a team-leading 3.6 assists on the season. Easton Hunter is averaging 12.4 ppg and leads the Coyotes with 24 three-point makes.
The Series: The Falcons are 24-19 vs. the Coyotes since 2004 but have dropped five straight meetings, last winning over KWU 94-82 in Salina on Jan. 10, 2022. Friends has won 13 of 20 matchups in Wichita during that time frame but haven't won at home since Dec. 12, 2018.
Quoting head coach Phil McClintock:
"We are excited to get back home to the Garvey Center on Saturday. Kansas Wesleyan has been a top program in the KCAC for a while now so they will be a tough test for us. We are looking to prepare for them the next few days and try to compete on Saturday."
The Glass House: The Falcons have done a good job taking care of the glass this season, outrebounding the opposition in six of eight games this season. Conversely, the Falcons are 6-0 when holding the rebounding edge but have lost both games the opposition leads in boards.
Half Good: When taking a lead into the locker room this season, the Falcons have won all five games. But they're just 1-2 when trailing at the break.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons have won all five games when outshooting the opposition from the field but are 1-2 when the opposing team records a higher field-goal percentage.
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: 6-2
KCAC: 3-1
Home: 1-1
Road: 3-1
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-1
60-69 points: 0-0
70-79 points: 2-1
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 3-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 1-0
60-69 points: 2-0
70-79 points: 3-0
80-89 points: 0-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 5-0
When trailing at halftime: 1-2
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 5-1
When committing more turnovers: 1-1
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 5-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 1-2
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 5-0
When trailing in three-point percentage: 1-2
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in rebounding: 6-0
When trailing in rebounding: 0-2
When rebounding is tied: 0-0
When leading in assists: 4-0
When trailing in assists: 2-2
When assists are tied: 0-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Phil McClintock is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.
McClintock brings a stark familiarity of the KCAC to Friends, highlighted by an eight-year tenure as Associate Men's Basketball Head Coach at Ottawa University.
At Ottawa, McClintock served as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for film breakdown and scouting reports.
2019-20 was a breakout season, as McClintock brought in six of the team's top 10 players that produced a school-record 28 victories, a regular season KCAC championship and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance (tournament ended early due to COVID-19).
In addition to his basketball coaching experience at Ottawa, McClintock has also been the Braves Men's and Women's Golf head coach for the past four seasons.
McClintock's first basketball head coaching position came at Salem high school, where he spent three seasons and guided the team in the 2014-15 campaign to their first winning record in eight years.
A strong developer of young players, McClintock has served as a Camp Coach at the KU Bill Self Basketball Camps every year since 2012. His responsibilities at the camp include running drills, coaching teams and developing player skills.
His first career coaching job was a two-year tenure as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at William Woods University from 2010-12.
McClintock also played collegiately at Ottawa and enjoyed immense success, earning two NAIA All-America honors, a pair of All-KCAC nods while finishing his career as the all-time leader in blocked shots and top five all-time in scoring, rebounding and steals.
An Ottawa University Hall of Fame inductee in 2021, he helped the Braves to two conference titles and a pair of NAIA Sweet 16 berths.
A 2009 graduate of Ottawa University in Physical Education and Health, McClintock then earned his Master of Education in Athletics/Activities Administration from William Woods University in 2012.
McClintock and his wife Kirsten have three boys, Lawson (15), Jackson (11), and Bodie (three).
Anthony Monson is in his ninth season at the helm of the Kansas Wesleyan University men's basketball team and ranks second on the program's all-time wins list.
Last year, Monson led the Coyotes to a second-place finish in the KCAC and a conference tournament title game appearance. KWU also advanced to the NAIA National Championship tournament for the third straight season.
In the 2022-23 season, Monson guided the Coyotes to their most wins (26) since 2007 and the most conference wins (19) in program history. Monson also won his 100th career game in the season opener.
In the 2021-22 campaign, Monson guided the Coyotes to 15 conference wins along with the team's first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2007.
In the 2017-18 campaign, Monson guided the Coyotes to their first winning season since 2008-09.
Before coming to KWU, Monson served nine seasons as the lead assistant coach at Tabor College.
Up Next: The Falcons will make the trip to Hillsboro, Kan. Wednesday night (Dec. 11) for an 8 pm tipoff at Tabor College.
