The Lowdown: No. 14 Friends University at No. 25 Bethel College
Location: North Newton, Kan. | Thresher Gym
When: Wednesday, Jan. 21 @ 8:00 PM
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 14 Friends University Falcons enter the matchup against the No. 25 Bethel College Threshers with a 9-3 record in KCAC play and a 14-4 record overall. Friends is coming off a dominant 100-66 win against the Bethany College Swedes. The Falcons will now take the short road trip to North Newton, Kan. to take on the Threshers for their second matchup of the season.
Cahlese Lee continues to lead the Falcons, averaging 15.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range. Collin Maclin is Friends' second-leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.
Ringo Deng is a versatile contributor for the Falcons, averaging 11.6 points, a team-high 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range. Randy Woolf, Jr. provides an all-around presence, averaging 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and a team-high 3.9 assists per contest. Woolf Jr. has been highly efficient, shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from the three-point line (2nd in KCAC), and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line (4th in KCAC).
Freshman Eli Benning has emerged as a key spark off the bench, averaging 3.6 assists per game while leading the Falcons in steals and ranking third in the KCAC at 2.5 per contest. He has also become a reliable scoring threat, averaging 10 points per game over the last six games.
Built on Efficiency: As a team, Friends has been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the KCAC. The Falcons rank second in the conference in scoring (83.4 points per game), fourth in made field goals per game (30.0), and third in field-goal percentage (47.8).
From beyond the arc, Friends ranks second in the KCAC in three-point makes per game (9.8) and third in three-point percentage (36.4). Friends features one of the conference's top three-point shooters by percentage in Randy Woolf Jr. (2nd – 47.6%).
Winning the Possession Game: Friends' offensive success is fueled by elite ball movement and execution. The Falcons average 18.8 assists per game, ranking first in the KCAC and ninth nationally in the NAIA, highlighting their ability to score efficiently while sharing the basketball.
Randy Woolf, Jr. (4th), Ringo Deng (6th), and Eli Benning (8th) all rank among the top 10 in the conference in assists per game.
The Falcons also take care of the basketball, committing the fewest turnovers in the KCAC at just 10.3 per game. Defensively, Friends ranks fourth in the conference in steals with 9.4 per contest, led by Benning, who is 2nd in the KCAC with 45 steals on the season.
Scouting the Threshers: The Bethel College Threshers enter Wednesday's matchup with a 10-2 record in KCAC play and a 15-3 record overall, coming off a 76-66 win at Ottawa. They are also ranked No. 25 in the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll.
Bethel is led by Carmelo Yakubu, who is averaging 16.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Threshers feature three additional double-figure scorers in Trenton Patterson (13.1), Albert Diarra (10.6), and Rustan Griffen (10.2).
The Series: Wednesday night's matchup marks the 46th meeting between the two programs. Friends claimed the most recent contest earlier this season, pulling out a 70–69 home victory on a clutch putback by Collin Maclin to secure the narrow win for the Falcons. Friends also hold a 14–7 record in road games in the series, with their most recent win in Newton coming during the 2024–25 season, a tight 76–74 victory.
Promo Depot: We are proud to have Promo Depot as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season! Click HERE for more info on the services Promo Depot can offer!
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.
Defense Sets the Tone: Friends are 8-0 when holding teams under 70 points. The Falcons are 12–2 when allowing fewer than 80 points, emphasizing their consistency on the defensive end.
Winning the Possession Battle: Friends posts a 13–2 record when leading in assists and committing fewer turnovers, suggesting that offensive efficiency and ball movement are key drivers of the Falcons' success.
Buckets on Buckets on Buckets on Buckets: Cahlese Lee, Ringo Deng, Randy Woolf, Jr., and Devin Davis have each surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone this season. Lee reached the mark earlier in the year during the Falcons' win over Baker. Deng joined the 1,000-point club in the Falcons' victory against Kansas Wesleyan, followed by Woolf Jr. in the win over McPherson. Davis was recently announced as the most recent Falcon to surpass the career milestone.
Falcons by the Numbers (2025-26)
Overall record: 14-4
KCAC: 9-3
Home: 6-2
Road: 6-2
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-0
70-79 points: 5-3
80-89 points: 5-1
90+ points: 4-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 2-0
60-69 points: 6-0
70-79 points: 6-2
80-89 points: 0-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 11-2
When trailing at halftime: 2-2
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 13-2
When committing more turnovers: 1-2
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 14-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 2-4
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 10-2
When trailing in three-point percentage: 3-2
When three-point percentage is tied: 1-0
When leading in rebounding: 8-0
When trailing in rebounding: 5-4
When rebounding is tied: 1-0
When leading in assists: 13-2
When trailing in assists: 1-2
When assists are tied: 0-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Phil McClintock is in his third season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program and has already transformed the Falcons into a national contender. Last season was the true breakout, as McClintock guided the Falcons to their most wins (24) in six years, the program's first NAIA National Tournament victory since 2013-14 and a second-place finish in the KCAC that saw the program fighting for the top spot until the final day of the regular season.
McClintock brought 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).
Jayson Artaz is in his eighth season as Bethel College's head men's basketball coach and stands as the winningest coach in program history, also owning the best overall win percentage ever at Bethel. Since taking over in 2018, he has compiled a 143–75 record, produced four 20-win seasons, and guided the Threshers to four NAIA National Tournament appearances—including two trips to the Round of 16—and the 2020–21 KCAC regular-season and tournament championships. Artaz has developed four All-Americans, multiple KCAC Players of the Year, and more than 30 All-KCAC honorees across all teams. He earned KCAC Coach of the Year and KBCA Four-Year College Coach of the Year honors in 2020–21 and became the fastest coach in school history to reach 100 wins. Coach Artaz graduated from Bethel in 2005 and was a standout player, earning Second Team All-Conference honors and helping the 2003 team reach the national tournament. He still holds Bethel's single-season three-point record with 96 makes in 2004–05.
Up Next: The Falcons will be back in action at home on Saturday (Jan. 24) to take on Kansas Wesleyan for the second matchup of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
