Winfield, Kan. – The No. 9-ranked Southwestern College Moundbuilders broke things open in the second half to put away the Friends University Falcons 97-64 in KCAC action tonight (Feb. 14) at the Stewart Fieldhouse in Winfield, Kan.

The Falcons trailed by as many as 17 in the first half before cutting the deficit to 10 on a layup by Christian Williams with 25 seconds left.

A score by Andrew O'Brien to end the half gave the Builders a 51-39 lead at the break.

After a pair of free throws by Collin Maclin again brought the Falcons within 10, the Builders exploded and outscored the Falcons 18-2 over the next 5:31 to take a commanding 26-point lead.

It was all Southwestern from that point, as the Builders stretched the lead to a game-high 39 points before the Falcons scored the final six points of the night.

KJ Spiller was terrific for Friends, tying for game-high scoring honors with 22 points along with a team-high nine rebounds.

O'Brien led four Builders in double-figure scoring with 22 points and also pulled down nine boards with six assists. Justin DeMaria scored 20 and Cevin Clark added 13 points. Mason Thiessen had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, with Zach Hildago recording 10 boards.

The Falcons outshot the Builders in the first half 51.5 percent to 47.5 percent, but cooled off to shoot just 31.3 percent in the second half as Southwestern pulled away for the win.

Southwestern also had a massive 53-28 edge in rebounding, highlighted by a 16-4 edge on the offensive glass that resulted in a 17-6 advantage in second chance points. Friends did manage to outscore the Builders 34-30 in the paint.

Friends will next be at Tabor College for a 7 pm tipoff Saturday night (Feb. 17) in Hillsboro, Kan.