The Lowdown: Sterling College at Friends University
* KCAC Postseason Tournament Championship
Location: Garvey Center
When: Wednesday, Mar. 4 @ 7:00 pm
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Flying with the Falcons: Two KCAC Tournament games, two thrilling victories for the Friends University Falcons on the way to the conference title game. Most recently, the fifth-seeded Falcons overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the top-seeded Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes 64-62 on Rayland Garner's buzzer-beating bucket. Read the full postseason semifinal recap at KWU HERE!
Lauryn McIver is tops on the Falcons in scoring (15.2 ppg) while also leading the team in assists (3.0 apg). Taylor Jackson is averaging a double-double of 14.6 ppg along with leading the league in both rebounds (12.2 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg).
Abigail Barr (12.1 ppg) and Kori Babcock (10.7 ppg) are also averaging double-figure points, with Babcock leading the Falcons with 62 three-pointers and Barr ranking second on the team in rebounds (7.0 rpg) and fourth in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (56.6).
Scouting the Lady Warriors: The sixth-seeded Sterling College Lady Warriors are in the KCAC title game following resounding upsets at third-seeded Evangel University and second-seeded Tabor College by an average of 26.5 points. Sterling is now 20-10 overall on the season.
The Lady Warriors sport the KCAC's top scorer in Korynn Clason at 22.4 ppg, with Alissa Heskamp second in scoring at 13.4 ppg. McKenna Vogl and Bailey Young each average a team-high 4.9 rebounds and Kali Briar is tops on the team in assists (3.3 apg).
The Series: The Falcons and Lady Warriors split two meetings this season, with each team winning at home. Prior to last season's 79-75 win, Friends had dropped 12 straight games to Sterling. The Falcons are 14-34 vs. the Lady Warriors since 2004 and 10-13 in Wichita during that stretch.
Quoting Head Coach Dean Jaderston:
"It is always a little surreal when you get to a championship game. All the work you put in now pays off. Both teams are playing well and it should be a great game. We have to handle their press and traps with composure and take away their transition game. We're ready though...should be a lot of fun!"
Eye on the Prize: The Falcons are making their second KCAC title game appearance in the last three years, but they're looking for their first tournament championship of the modern era. Friends has lost all four tourney title games they've played in since the 2004-05 season.
Major Conference Recognition: For the second straight season, Taylor Jackson was honored as the KCAC's top defensive player along with second-team All-KCAC honors and an All-Defensive Team selection. Lauryn McIver (All-KCAC first team) and Abigail Barr (All-KCAC honorable-mention) were also recognized. Click HERE for the full release!
Always defensive: Taylor Jackson is nearing the end of a truly historic career, particularly on the defensive end. The Houston, Texas native has collected 17 career KCAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week awards and is the Falcons' modern-era blocks leader with 356 career swats and has done it again this season, ranking first in the KCAC in both blocks (2.3 bpg) and rebounds (12.2 rpg). Click HERE for a feature story detailing Jackson's truly iconic career at Friends!
The Under 70 Club: When the Falcons hold the opposition under 70 points, they've posted a 15-5 record. But when allowing at least 70 points, the Falcons are just 4-6.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 16-3 when outshooting the opposition but are 3-8 when the opponent holds a higher shooting percentage. Ironically, the Falcons have won both KCAC tournament games on the road despite being outshot by both Bethel and Kansas Wesleyan.
Boarding School: The Falcons have a record of 16-5 when leading in rebounding but are 2-6 when the opposition controls the boards. Friends also won the only game when the rebounds were even. Friends won for only the second time this season in the semifinal round at Kansas Wesleyan when being outrebounded.
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: 19-11
KCAC: 15-7
Home: 10-4
Road: 8-7
Neutral: 1-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 1-2
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 6-7
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: 6-3
70-79 points: 3-4
80-89 points: 1-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 14-4
When trailing at halftime: 4-7
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 4-3
When committing more turnovers: 14-5
When turnovers are even: 1-3
When leading in field-goal percentage: 16-3
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 3-8
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 11-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 8-10
When leading in rebounding: 16-5
When trailing in rebounding: 2-6
When rebounding is even: 1-0
When leading in assists: 11-3
When trailing in assists: 6-7
When assists are even: 2-1
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 an 81-42 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 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.
K.C. Bassett is in her 11th season as head coach of the Sterling College Warriors. Bassett has guided the Warriors to three of the last five KCAC regular season championships and five NAIA National Tournament berths in the past six seasons.
Before taking the reins of the program, Bassett served seven years as an assistant coach at Sterling. She was also a four-year starter for the Warriors and finished her playing career as the program's all-time leader in assists.
Up Next: With a win over Sterling College, the Falcons would be KCAC tournament champions for the first time in the modern era and would clinch the program's first NAIA National Championship appearance since 2017-18. The NAIA selection show is Thursday evening (Mar. 6) at 6 pm. Details can be found at www.naia.org
