The Lowdown: (RV) Friends University at McPherson College
Location: McPherson, Kan.
When: Saturday, Dec. 13 @ 1 pm
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The (RV) Friends University Falcons used a fourth-quarter surge to grind out a 51-43 defensive slugfest victory over the Tabor College Bluejays Wednesday evening (Dec. 10) inside the Garvey Center to run their record to 10-1 overall and 5-1 in the KCAC. Read all about the Falcons' gritty win over Tabor HERE!
Rayland Garner recently reached 1,000 career points and leads the KCAC in scoring (19.5 ppg) and is fourth in the league in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and tied for fifth in steals (2.7 spg). Abigail Barr is second on the Falcons in scoring (15.4 ppg) and is third in the league in field-goal percentage (60.3) while averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. Lauryn McIver is averaging a solid stat line of 13.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg and a team-high 4.8 apg that ranks tied for fourth in the KCAC. Katie Weiss has hit a team-leading 29 threes on a solid 37.7 percent shooting clip from three-point distance.
The Falcons currently rank third in the KCAC in points per game (76.4 ppg).
Scouting the Bulldogs: The McPherson College Bulldogs are 5-6 overall and have lost five straight KCAC games after winning their conference opener at Southwestern College.
Olivia Bell leads McPherson in both points (10.2 ppg) and assists (2.7 apg), with Auhnesty Hawkins recording a team-leading 4.8 rebounds a game.
The Series: The Falcons have dominated the series against McPherson, winning seven straight meetings with a 35-9 mark overall since 2005. Friends is 15-6 on the road vs. the Bulldogs in that span.
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.
Boarding School: The Falcons are a perfect 10-0 when leading in rebounding but fell to Evangel in the only game they were outrebounded.
Make it Make Sense: It's Basketball 101 that it's hard to win when losing the turnover battle, but the Falcons have defied that logic all season. Friends is a perfect 7-0 this season when committing more turnovers than the opposition.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons have won all 10 games this season when leading in field-goal percentage but lost 95-88 to Evangel in the only game they've been outshot this season.
Welcome to the Club: Senior forward Rayland Garner recently became the eighth member of the Falcons' 1,000 career point club during the modern era with a game-high 28 points to help the Falcons win 65-59 over Oklahoma Wesleyan University back on Nov. 19.
Falcons by the Numbers
Overall record: 10-1
KCAC: 5-1
Home: 6-1
Road: 4-0
Neutral: 0-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 1-0
60-69 points: 3-0
70-79 points: 1-0
80-89 points: 4-1
90+ points: 1-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 1-0
50-59 points: 2-0
60-69 points: 5-0
70-79 points: 1-0
80-89 points: 0-0
90+ points: 1-1
When leading at halftime: 6-0
When trailing at halftime: 4-1
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0
When committing more turnovers: 7-0
When turnovers are even: 2-1
When leading in field-goal percentage: 10-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-1
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 7-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 3-0
When leading in rebounding: 10-0
When trailing in rebounding: 0-1
When rebounding is even: 0-0
When leading in assists: 8-0
When trailing in assists: 1-1
When assists are even: 1-0
In OT: 1-0
The Coaches:
Dean Jaderston is in his seventh 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 an 81-43 record over the past four years, including two trips to the KCAC championship game in the past three seasons.
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 38. They also currently serve as executive directors of a premier summer Christian family conference called Northern Pines of Minnesota. They have three married sons and nine grandchildren.
Alex Moorehead is in his first season as head coach of the McPherson College women's basketball program. This past summer, Moorehead served as a coach with PhD Hoops at the United World Games in Austria, where he was a part of Team USA finishing as the No. 1 seed and winning a bronze medal.
Before arriving at McPherson, Moorehead was the head coach at Ave Maria University for four seasons and was named Sun Conference Coach of the Year and WBCA Region 6 Coach of the Year during his time there.
He was also the head coach at Deer Creek High School for four years and had assistant coaching stops at California State University Maritime Academy and Bishop McGuinness High School.
Moorehead's playing career includes time playing professionally overseas in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Indonesia from 2012-13 and also in Ireland's Super League from 2013-14.
Up Next: The Falcons will take time off for Christmas Break before resuming action on New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) at (RV) Columbia College at 1 pm in Columbia, Mo.
