The Lowdown: No. 21 Falcons at McPherson College
Location: McPherson, Kan. | Holman Fieldhouse
When: Saturday, Dec. 13 @ 3:00 PM
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 21 Falcons enter the match up at 5–1 in KCAC play and 8–2 overall, coming off a gritty 89–75 win over Tabor that extended their winning streak to four games.
Friends is led by Cahlese Lee, who averages 15.1 points per game, shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, while adding four rebounds and two assists per contest. Randy Woolf, Jr. continues to be a steady presence, contributing 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 41.9 percent from three-point range and 48.8 percent from the field.
Collin Maclin adds 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, while Ringo Deng provides all-around production with 9.8 points, a team-high 5.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per contest, shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Freshman Eli Benning has emerged as a key contributor, averaging 4.3 assists per game and leading the team with 3.3 steals per contest.
Two-Way Excellence: Through the first 10 games of the season, Friends has been efficient on the offensive end, averaging 84.1 points per game while connecting on 30.7 field goals per contest and shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. The Falcons also knock down 10.3 three-pointers per game at a 37.7 percent clip.
Ball movement has been a strength, as Friends averages 19.6 assists per game while committing just 10.3 turnovers per contest. Defensively, the Falcons consistently force turnovers, averaging 10.8 steals per game.
Scouting the Bulldogs: McPherson enters the match up 5–1 in KCAC play and 9–3 overall, coming off a dominant 91–66 road win over the Bethany College Swedes.
The Bulldogs are led by Korbin Gunn, who averages 16.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. McPherson features four additional double-figure scorers in Austin Tarrance (11.5), Dash Johnson (10.8), KJ Marshall (10.2), and Charles Snyder (12.4).
Snyder leads the team with 4.6 rebounds per game, while Marshall has totaled 15 blocks in 12 games, averaging 1.3 blocks per contest.
The Series: Saturday's match up marks the 46th meeting between the two programs. Friends claimed the most recent match up with a 102–78 commanding win over the Bulldogs in the Garvey Center during the 2024–25 season. Since the 2004-05 campaign, the Falcons hold a 27-18 series advantage but are tied 10–10 when taking on the Bulldogs on the road.
Falcons Trending Up: The Falcons are coming off their winningest season in six years and a runner-up finish in the KCAC after being picked ninth and tenth in last year's preseason polls. This season, they were projected to finish second in both KCAC preseason polls, earning multiple first-place votes.
Friends recently slid from No. 18 to No. 21 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll (Nov. 26) but enter Wednesday's match up riding a four-game winning streak. Recently earning a critical win over the No. 17 Bethel College Threshers (Dec. 3).
Promo Depot: We are proud to have Promo Depot as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season! Click HERE for more info on the services Promo Depot can offer!
Kansas Army National Guard: We are thrilled to have the Kansas Army National Guard on board with us this year as an official sponsor! Click HERE to visit their website.
Execution & Efficiency: Efficiency has been a deciding factor for the Falcons this season. Friends is 6–0 when leading in both field-goal percentage and three-point percentage, while also posting a 7–1 record when committing fewer turnovers. Execution and shot selection continue to be key ingredients in the Falcons' success.
Road Warriors: The Falcons have been tested away from home and responded well, entering Wednesday's match up a perfect 3–0 on the road this season.
Pacing the Falcons: Cahlese Lee joined the 1,000-point club after pouring in a career-high 30 points, including seven three-pointers, against Baker on Oct. 30. He continues to pace the Falcons' offense, averaging a team-high 15.1 points per game while knocking down 2.4 threes per contest.
Falcons by the Numbers (2025-26)
Overall record: 8-2
KCAC: 5-1
Home: 3-2
Road: 3-0
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-0
70-79 points: 4-1
80-89 points: 2-1
90+ points: 2-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 1-0
60-69 points: 4-0
70-79 points: 3-0
80-89 points: 0-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 5-1
When trailing at halftime: 2-1
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 7-1
When committing more turnovers: 1-1
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 6-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 2-2
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 6-0
When trailing in three-point percentage: 2-2
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in rebounding: 4-0
When trailing in rebounding: 4-2
When rebounding is tied: 0-0
When leading in assists: 7-1
When trailing in assists: 1-1
When assists are tied: 0-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Phil McClintock is in his third season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program and has already transformed the Falcons into a national contender. Last season was the true breakout, as McClintock guided the Falcons to their most wins (24) in six years, the program's first NAIA National Tournament victory since 2013-14 and a second-place finish in the KCAC that saw the program fighting for the top spot until the final day of the regular season.
McClintock brought 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).
TJ Eskildsen is entering his seventh season as Head Coach of the McPherson College men's basketball program, after previously serving nine seasons as an assistant. Since taking over in 2019–20, Eskildsen has led the Bulldogs to top-half KCAC finishes in four of six seasons.
He engineered an immediate turnaround in his first year, guiding McPherson to a 21–11 record and a tie for fourth in the KCAC—its highest finish since 2011–12. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs have produced 13 All-KCAC performers, including 2023–24 KCAC Newcomer of the Year Collin Storr.
Up Next: The Falcons will be back in the Garvey Center next Thursday (Dec. 18) for a non-conference match up against the Hesston College Larks before the Christmas break. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m.
