WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 23-ranked Friends University Falcons saw their 12-game winning streak come to an end with a 76-67 setback to the Bethany College Swedes today (Jan. 17) inside the Garvey Center.
The Falcons found themselves trailing most of the day, down 19-14 at the end of the first quarter and then faced a seven-point deficit of 30-23 by the 5:35 mark of the second period.
A three-point play by Abigail Barr brought the Falcons within one, but the Swedes built the lead back to seven and led 42-35 at the break.
After a score by Hannah Moss opened the third quarter and gave Bethany its largest lead to that point, the Falcons made their strongest push of the game as a bucket inside by Heaven Gilbert capped a 15-5 burst that gave Friends its first lead of the day at the 3:15 mark.
The topsy turvy third quarter continued when a three-point play by Becca Unruh put the Swedes back in front and Bethany carried a 54-52 lead into the fourth period.
The final 10 minutes was close much of the way, but the Swedes found a way to stay on top and then got a three by Moss with 36 seconds left to create a seven-point lead that proved to be too much for the Falcons to overcome.
Rayland Garner led the Falcons with 18 points and had six rebounds, with Lauryn McIver scoring 10 with a game-high seven assists. Garner and McIver also each had three steals.
Barr had 15 points, while Gilbert and Katie Weiss each added 10 points. Anna Sant'Anna also recorded six boards for the Falcons, who are now 16-2 overall and tied for second place in the KCAC with a 10-2 league record.
Moss led all scorers with 19 points for the Swedes and Chloe Percy scored 12. Tayten Dewey chipped in with 11 points and had a game-high eight rebounds, with Unruh and Colbi Rignell each distributing four assists for Bethany (10-7, 8-4 KCAC).
A huge key to the Swedes win was their dominance on the glass, as they outrebounded the Falcons 49-28 and held a 13-3 edge in second chance points. The Falcons did manage to outscore the Swedes 34-28 in the paint.
The Falcons will next play at Bethel College Wednesday evening (Jan. 21) at 6 pm in North Newton, Kan.
