The Lowdown: Tabor College at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Wednesday, Feb. 5 @ 6:00 pm
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What's at Stake: The second spot in the KCAC is on the line tonight when the Falcons tangle with the Tabor College Bluejays. Friends and Tabor are both currently 12-4 in the conference, two games behind front runner Kansas Wesleyan University.
Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons were tripped up 68-61 Saturday afternoon (Jan. 31) at Avila University. The Falcons are now 14-8 overall and tied for the second spot with Tabor at 12-4 in the league. Read the full recap at Avila HERE.
Lauryn McIver is tops on the Falcons and ranks fourth in the KCAC in scoring (15.3 ppg) and has also dished out a team-leading 3.2 assists per game. Taylor Jackson averaging a double-double of 14.5 ppg along with leading the league in both rebounds (12.3 rpg) and blocks (2.2 bpg).
Abigail Barr (12.5 ppg) and Kori Babcock (11.0 ppg) are also averaging double-figure points, with Babcock leading the Falcons with 47 three-pointers and Barr ranking second on the team in rebounds (8.0 rpg) and second in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (56.5).
Scouting the Bluejays: The Tabor College Bluejays come in on a five-game winning streak and are now 14-7 overall with a 12-4 conference record.
Lillie Veer leads Tabor in both points (11.3 ppg) and rebounds (4.2 rpg) while ranking tied for the team lead in assists (1.8 apg). Alyvia Owens is scoring 10.0 ppg and Miyah McGee is also averaging 1.8 assists per game. The Bluejays feature a balanced rebounding effort, with seven different players recording at least 3.0 rebounds per game.
The Series: The Falcons won the first matchup this season 62-50 to snap a three-game losing skid in the series. Friends is 20-24 overall vs. Tabor since the 2004-05 season, with a 10-11 mark in Wichita over that span.
Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston:
"This one feels like a post-season game. Two of the top teams in the KCAC, and both are playing well. Tabor has been shooting the ball really well the last 5-6 games, so we have to take away their three while also guarding all their different actions. It should be a great game!"
Always defensive: Taylor Jackson has collected 17 career KCAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards and is the Falcons' modern-era blocks leader with 337 career swats and is at it again this season, ranking first in the KCAC in both blocks (2.2 bpg) and rebounds (12.3 rpg).
High Percentage: The top two leaders in the KCAC in field-goal percentage will be on hand tonight, with Tabor's Kloe Bowin shooting a league-leading 59 percent, followed by the Falcons' Abigail Barr at 56.5 percent.
Numbers Lie: In the Falcons' 72-67 victory over the University of Saint Mary last Wednesday, a couple major statistical outliers occurred. The Falcons won for the first time all season when shooting a lower field-goal percentage (40.3-37.9) and for just the second time when trailing at the half (41-26).
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 13-2 when outshooting the opposition but are 1-6 when the opponent holds a higher shooting percentage.
Boarding School: The Falcons are 13-3 when leading in rebounding but have lost all five 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.
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: 14-8
KCAC: 12-4
Home: 8-3
Road: 5-5
Neutral: 1-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 1-2
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 3-6
70-79 points: 3-0
80-89 points: 7-0
90+ points: 0-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 2-0
50-59 points: 5-2
60-69 points: 3-2
70-79 points: 3-4
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 11-3
When trailing at halftime: 2-5
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 2-2
When committing more turnovers: 11-3
When turnovers are even: 1-3
When leading in field-goal percentage: 13-2
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 1-6
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 8-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 6-7
When leading in rebounding: 13-3
When trailing in rebounding: 0-5
When rebounding is even: 1-0
When leading in assists: 9-2
When trailing in assists: 4-5
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.
Shawn Reed is in his 14th season as head coach of the Tabor College Bluejays. A four-time KCAC Coach of the Year, Reed has guided Tabor to four KCAC regular-season titles, six league tournament championships, eight NAIA National Tournament appearances and eight 20-win seasons. Last season, Reed guided the Bluejays to the trifecta with KCAC regular season and tourney titles and an NAIA National Tournament berth. He entered this season with 273 career victories and is Tabor's all-time winningest head coach.
Up Next: The Falcons will remain at home and host Ottawa University Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8) at 1 pm.
