The Lowdown: University of Saint Mary at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Wednesday, Jan. 29 @ 6:00 pm
Broadcast
Live Stats
Tickets
Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons fell in tight fashion 73-69 at Kansas Wesleyan University last Saturday evening (Jan. 25) in a matchup of the KCAC's top two teams. The Falcons are now 13-7 overall and reside in the second spot in the KCAC with an 11-3 league record. Read the full recap at KWU HERE.
Lauryn McIver is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (3.2 apg), with Taylor Jackson averaging a double-double of 14.3 ppg and a KCAC-leading 12.6 rebounds this season along with a league-leading 2.2 blocks per game.
Abigail Barr (12.0 ppg) and Kori Babcock (11.3 ppg) are also averaging double-figure points, with Babcock leading the Falcons with 43 three-pointers and Barr ranking second on the team in rebounds (8.1 rpg).
Scouting the Spires: The University of Saint Mary Spires are 9-11 overall on the season and have won their last two KCAC games to come in at 8-5 in the conference.
Alanis Delgado is leading Saint Mary in both points (15.3 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg), with Addison Schletzbaum scoring 10.6 ppg with a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game.
The Series: The Falcons are 33-11 vs. the Spires since the 2004-05 season but have dropped six of the last seven in the series, including falling 88-63 in last season's KCAC tournament semifinal round. The two teams split the regular season series last year, with each team winning at home. Friends has dominated Saint Mary in Wichita during that stretch, winning 20 of the past 22 home meetings.
Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston
"It's always hard to refocus after a tough loss. Saint Mary is an athletic, guard-dominated team and we've had some great battles in the past. It is going to be important for us to get our focus back, continue to guard the 3 pointer without fouling, and play with the confidence we had going into Saturday."
Always defensive: Taylor Jackson recently collected her 17th KCAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week honor (Jan. 20) and is the Falcons' modern-era blocks leader with 332 career swats and is at it again this season, ranking first in the KCAC in both blocks (2.2 bpg) and rebounds (12.6 rpg).
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 13-2 when outshooting the opposition but have lost all five games that the opponent holds a higher shooting percentage.
Boarding School: The Falcons are 12-3 when leading in rebounding but have lost all four games when the opposition controls the boards.
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: 13-7
KCAC: 11-3
Home: 7-3
Road: 5-4
Neutral: 1-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 1-2
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 3-5
70-79 points: 2-0
80-89 points: 7-0
90+ points: 0-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 2-0
50-59 points: 5-2
60-69 points: 2-1
70-79 points: 3-4
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 11-3
When trailing at halftime: 1-4
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 2-1
When committing more turnovers: 10-3
When turnovers are even: 1-3
When leading in field-goal percentage: 13-2
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-5
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 8-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 5-6
When leading in rebounding: 12-3
When trailing in rebounding: 0-4
When rebounding is even: 1-0
When leading in assists: 9-2
When trailing in assists: 3-4
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.
Andy Kelly is in his fourth season as head coach of the University of Saint Mary women's basketball program. Last season, Kelly guided the Spires to their second consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearance following the program's first-ever KCAC tournament championship and an NAIA National Tournament berth in the 2023-24 campaign.
Kelly came to USM from Baker University, where he was an assistant coach for four seasons and helped the Wildcats to three NAIA National Tournament appearances along with a Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title in 2017.
Up Next: The Falcons will play at Avila University Saturday afternoon (Feb. 1) at 1 pm in Kansas City, Mo.
