The Lowdown: Tabor College at Friends University

Location: Garvey Center

When: Wednesday, Feb. 5 @ 8 pm

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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons outscored the Avila University Eagles 43-28 in the second half to secure their ninth win in the last 10 outings and remain in a tie for first in the KCAC last Saturday (Feb. 1) in Kansas City, Mo. The Falcons are now 17-5 overall and 13-3 in the conference. Read the full recap at Avila HERE!

KJ Spiller leads Friends and is fifth in the KCAC with 17.1 ppg along with a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. Cahlese Lee (12.5 ppg) and Randy Woolf, Jr. (11.3 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures this season to give the Falcons a balanced offensive attack. Wolf, Jr. is tops on the Falcons and fourth in the KCAC with 3.7 assists per game, with Lee and Ring Deng each recording a team-leading 1.5 steals.  Lee is also fifth in the league in three-point percentage (43.3).

Scouting the Bluejays: The Tabor College Bluejays have dropped nine straight and are 2-19 overall and 1-15 in the KCAC.

Kalep Crane is the league's leading scorer at 20.5 ppg and is tied with James Shoenfelt for the team-lead in assists (1.8 apg). Batosse Gado is the Bluejays leading rebounder with 7.2 rpg but has been forced out of action since Jan. 8.

The Series: The Falcons have an even mark of 23-23 vs. the Bluejays since the 2004-05 season but have won 10 of the last 13 matchups, including the first meeting this season 70-53 in Hillsboro, Kan. But Friends is just 9-13 against Tabor in Wichita during that stretch.

Quoting head coach Phil McClintock:      

"We are down to our last six regular season games and all our goals are in front of us. It will take extreme focus and effort, especially on the defensive end, to have success tonight."

80 is a Serious Number: The Falcons are undefeated in the 12 games they've scored at least 80 points but are an even 5-5 when failing to reach the 80-point mark.

Glass House: The Falcons have won all 15 games when leading in rebounding but are just 2-5 when the opposition controls the boards.

Half Good: When taking a lead into the locker room this season, the Falcons have won 12 of 13 games. But they've gone 4-4 when trailing at the break and won the only time the game was tied at the half.

Straight Shooters: The Falcons are 15-2 when outshooting the opposition from the field but are 2-3 when the opposing team records a higher field-goal percentage.

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: 17-5

KCAC: 13-3 

Home: 7-3 

Road: 8-2

Neutral: 2-0 

When scoring:                                              

Under 50 points: 0-0 

50-59 points: 0-1 

60-69 points: 0-2

70-79 points: 5-2 

80-89 points: 8-0 

90+ points: 4-0 

When allowing: 

Under 50 points: 

50-59 points: 3-0 

60-69 points: 6-0 

70-79 points: 5-2 

80-89 points: 3-3

90+ points: 0-0 

When leading at halftime: 12-1 

When trailing at halftime: 4-4

When tied at halftime: 1-0 

When committing fewer turnovers: 9-2

When committing more turnovers: 7-3 

When turnovers are tied: 1-0 

When leading in field-goal percentage: 15-2

When trailing in field-goal percentage: 2-3 

When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0 

When leading in three-point percentage: 12-1

When trailing in three-point percentage: 5-3 

When three-point percentage is tied: 0-1

When leading in rebounding: 15-0 

When trailing in rebounding: 2-5 

When rebounding is tied: 0-0 

When leading in assists: 12-1 

When trailing in assists: 4-4

When assists are tied: 1-0 

In OT: 0-0 

The Coaches: 

Phil McClintock is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.  

McClintock brings 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).  

Josh Roach is in his first season as head coach of the Tabor College Bluejays men's basketball team.

Prior to arriving at Tabor, Roach was an assistant coach for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers for 3.5 years.  At USAO, Roach helped the team win a Sooner Athletic Conference tournament title in 2021 and a regular season championship in 2022 that resulted in a pair of NAIA National Tournament berths.

Roach also made an assistant coaching stop at Union College (Ky.) before going to USAO.     

Up Next: The Falcons will be right back at home Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8) for a 3 pm tip-off vs. Ottawa University inside the Garvey Center.