WICHITA, Kan. -- The Southwestern College Moundbuilders used a three-point shooting barrage to defeat the (RV) Friends University Falcons 80-68 in KCAC action tonight (Jan. 15) inside the Garvey Center.  Even with the setback, the Falcons are still tied for second in the KCAC at 8-3 in the league. 

The Builders hit 15 threes on the night, including four of their first five attempts from beyond the arc to build an early 16-9 lead. 

Friends then turned to the three-point shot to climb back in it, knocking down four from beyond the arc, including a pair of treys by Cahlese Lee to outscore the Builders 15-2 to take a 24-18 lead. 

Southwestern answered, getting two threes by Evan Barber that sparked a 12-2 spurt for a 30-26 lead in the back-and-forth first half. 

The Builders led 40-33 at the break and Trey Abasolo scored the first five points of the second half to push the lead to 12. 

The Falcons cut it to eight, but two threes from Austin Hilton keyed a 9-1 run that doubled the lead up to 16 at 56-38 at the 13:30 mark. 

With the deficit up to 20, the Falcons slowly chipped away with an 11-1 run over the next three minutes to cut the Builder lead in half back down to 62-52 with 8:09 left. 

After a putback by Collin Maclin pulled the Falcons within seven at the 5:01 mark, a basket by Wyatt Bell and another three from Barber gave the Builders firm control the rest of the way. 

Randy Woolf, Jr. scored a team-high 14 points for the Falcons (12-5, 8-3 KCAC) along with seven rebounds and four assists. Lee contributed three treys and 13 points, while Maclin and KJ Spiller each scored 11.  Spiller also matched Woolf, Jr.'s seven boards for the Falcons. 

Barber led Southwestern (13-5, 6-5 KCAC) with 17 points and four 3-pointers. He also contributed six assists and three steals. Abasolo finished with 13 points and three assists. Zach Hidalgo dominated the boards, collecting a game-high 16 rebounds, including six offensive, and added eight points along with two blocks. Justin Demaria provided a spark off the bench, scoring 14 points with three made 3-pointers and grabbing five rebounds.

Rebounding was also key to the Builders' win, with Southwestern outrebounding Friends 47-33 overall and 19-9 on the offensive glass. 

The Falcons will next make the trek to Lindsborg, Kan. to face the Bethany College Swedes Saturday evening (Jan. 18) at 7 pm.