Caldwell, Idaho – For the first time since the 2013-14 season, the Friends University Falcons have emerged victorious in the NAIA National Tournament following tonight's (Mar. 14) gritty 63-60 victory over the Florida Memorial University Lions at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho.
The Falcons are now 24-7 overall, increasing the team's highest win total in six years.
Ice in their Veins: In a game nip and tuck to the very end, every point proved to be crucial. And Randy Woolf, Jr. and KJ Spiller were clutch late in the game, with each hitting two critical free throws in the final seconds to polish off the win. Woolf, Jr.'s free throws pushed the lead to four, and Spiller nailed two at the charity stripe to create the final three-point margin.
High Risk, High Reward: After Calvin Payton hit a three to bring the Lions within 57-55 with 19 seconds left, Spiller threw a football pass down the court that Wolf, Jr. corralled and finished off with a dunk to push the lead back to four and give the Falcons important breathing room late.
Biggest shot of his career? Newcomer Cahlese Lee leads the Falcons in three-point shooting at 42.6 percent and has hit plenty of big shots throughout the season. But none were bigger than the trey Lee drilled with 1:21 left to push a shaky 51-50 lead to a 54-50 cushion and allow the Falcons to gain control down the stretch.
Big Al: Al Emerllahu picked a great occasion to produce one of his best games of the season by tying his second highest scoring output with 11 points on an efficient 5-of-7 from the field. Emerllahu's buckets were timely, with seven of his 11 points fueling a 9-0 spurt that left the Falcons on top 45-40 with 11:12 remaining in the game.
Deng at the Stripe: After the Lions answered with seven straight points to lead 47-45, Ring Deng stepped up and drew fouls on the Falcons' next two possessions and made both free throws each trip to put Friends back in front by two. The Falcons wouldn't trail the rest of the night.
Early Response: Facing an early six-point deficit of 18-12, Collin Maclin, Owen Evans and Lee each connected from beyond the arc to provide the Falcons an important response and spark a 13-2 spurt to put Friends on top 25-20. The Lions scored the next seven points, but Emerllahu hit a layup to beat the halftime buzzer and tie the score at 27-27 at the break.
Winning in a Different Way: The Falcons entered tonight's game with a perfect 19-0 record when winning the rebounding battle, but were only 4-7 when the opposition controlled the glass. Make that 5-7, as the Falcons found a way to win despite being outrebounded 46-35 by the Lions.
McClintock on tonight's postseason victory over the Lions: "I'm so proud of the way our guys battled tonight. We definitely didn't have our best stuff against a very tough opponent, but our guys found a way to guard and rebound at a high level in the second half to lead us to a big win. We are excited about the chance to compete again tomorrow."
Up Next: The Falcons will face the challenge of playing the No. 1-ranked team in the country in College of Idaho in an NAIA second round matchup. College of Idaho won 59-46 in a defensive battle over 16-seeded UC Merced (Calif.) Tip-off will be at 7 pm (CST) tomorrow night, with a spot in the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo. on the line.
Falcons' Top Performers
Randy Woolf, Jr. – 13 points, five rebounds, five assists
Cahlese Lee – 12 points, 3-of-7 threes, two steals
Al Emerllahu – 11 points
KJ Spiller – Eight points, nine rebounds, four assists
Ring Deng – Six points, seven rebounds
Lions' Top Performers
Calvin Payton – 22 points
Felix Uadiale – 15 points, nine rebounds
Latavious Mitchell – Six points, 11 rebounds, four assists
