The Lowdown: Bethany College at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Feb. 22 @ 3:00 pm
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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons were upset 82-78 Wednesday evening (Feb. 19) at Southwestern College but are still tied for second in the KCAC at 15-6 thanks to Tabor College's setback at Bethel College. Read the full recap at Southwestern HERE!
Lauryn McIver is tops on the 17-10 Falcons and fifth in the KCAC in scoring (16.0 ppg) while also leading the team in assists (3.1 apg). Taylor Jackson is averaging a double-double of 14.4 ppg along with leading the league in both rebounds (12.5 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg).
Abigail Barr (12.1 ppg) and Kori Babcock (10.3 ppg) are also averaging double-figure points, with Babcock leading the Falcons with 55 three-pointers and Barr ranking second on the team in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and third in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (56.3).
Scouting the Swedes: The Bethany College Swedes are 14-13 overall and 12-9 in the KCAC this season following a 75-68 win at home over conference leader Kansas Wesleyan University on Wednesday.
Jaden Newfarmer (13.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.9 apg) and Janae Black-Harmon (10.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) have anchored the Swedes this season in points, rebounds and assists.
The Series: The Falcons and Swedes' recent series has featured a major back-and-forth effect, with Friends winning the last five meetings following six straight losses to Bethany. The Falcons have also won the past two matchups in Wichita, including a 70-51 victory in last season's KCAC postseason tournament quarterfinal round.
Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston:
"Can't believe it's Senior Day already. This is such a great group of young women! It should be a great game for their last regular season home game. We need to handle Bethany's pressure and guard without fouling. If we do that, we can take advantage of our transition game and size inside."
Always defensive: With today being Senior Day, Taylor Jackson is wrapping up a career that will never be forgotten. The Houston, Texas native has collected 17 career KCAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards and is the Falcons' modern-era blocks leader with 350 career swats and is at it again this season, ranking first in the KCAC in both blocks (2.3 bpg) and rebounds (12.5 rpg). Click HERE for a feature story detailing Jackson's truly iconic career at Friends!
On the Rebound: The matchup between the Falcons and Swedes will feature three of the top five rebounders in the KCAC. Taylor Jackson is pacing the conference with 12.5 rpg, while the Swedes' Janae Black-Harmon (fourth, 8.6 rpg) and Jaden Newfarmer (fifth 8.5 rpg) each rank within the top five.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 16-3 when outshooting the opposition but are 1-7 when the opponent holds a higher shooting percentage.
Boarding School: The Falcons have a record of 15-5 when leading in rebounding but have lost five of six games when the opposition controls the boards. Friends also won the only game when the rebounds were even.
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.
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.
Falcons by the Numbers
Overall record: 17-10
KCAC: 15-6
Home: 10-3
Road: 6-7
Neutral: 1-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 1-2
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 4-6
70-79 points: 5-1
80-89 points: 7-1
90+ points: 0-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 3-0
50-59 points: 6-2
60-69 points: 4-2
70-79 points: 3-4
80-89 points: 1-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 13-4
When trailing at halftime: 3-6
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 3-2
When committing more turnovers: 13-5
When turnovers are even: 1-3
When leading in field-goal percentage: 16-3
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 1-7
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 10-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 7-9
When leading in rebounding: 15-5
When trailing in rebounding: 1-5
When rebounding is even: 1-0
When leading in assists: 11-3
When trailing in assists: 5-6
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.
Sarah Bartel is in her second season as head coach of the Bethany College women's basketball team. Last year, Bartel led the Swedes to 15-14 overall record and a 13-9 mark in the KCAC. Bartel is familiar with the program, having served as an assistant coach for the Swedes for two seasons along with occupying the role of Resident Director and Administrative Assistant for the Athletic Department.
Prior to arriving at Bethany, Bartel was an assistant coach at Coffeyville Community College for two years.
Up Next: The Falcons don't officially know their opponent yet, but they know they'll be home for a KCAC quarterfinal matchup Thursday night (Feb. 27) at 7 pm inside the Garvey Center. If the current standings hold, the Falcons and Swedes would meet again in five days.
