NORTH NEWTON, Kan. - The No. 14 Friends University Falcons held off the No. 25 Bethel College Threshers in a 91-85 overtime thriller. Friends produced an efficient offensive outing shooting 50% from the field (34-68 FG), 51.7% from the three-point line (15-29 3PT), and 72.7% (8-11 FT) from the free-throw line to secure the key top-25 KCAC win.
Friends carried a 13-point lead into halftime, holding a 41–28 advantage over Bethel. The Falcons forced 11 first-half Thresher turnovers and capitalized, converting them into 16 points. Still, the game was far from decided.
Friends pushed the margin to as many as 15 points at the 15-minute mark of the second half, but Bethel refused to go quietly. The Threshers mounted a determined comeback, trimming the deficit to just one point with under nine minutes remaining before briefly taking the lead at the 7:11 mark, 66–65.
From there, the matchup turned into a back-and-forth battle, with Bethel's biggest lead being only four points. In the closing moments with Friends within one, Collin Maclin stepped up for the Falcons, knocking down a clutch mid-range jumper with under 15 seconds to go to put the Falcons back in front.
However, a late foul with four seconds remaining sent Bethel to the free-throw line. After missing the second attempt, the score was tied at 79–79, forcing overtime to determine the outcome of this top-25 matchup.
Bethel struck first in overtime, taking the lead with 4:33 remaining, but from that point forward, Friends took command of the game. The Falcons controlled the extra period, outscoring the Threshers 12–6 while shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Defensively, Friends stood firm, forcing Bethel into difficult shots down the stretch. A breakaway layup by Randy Woolf, Jr. with eight seconds remaining put the game out of reach for Bethel, sealing a 91–85 victory for the Falcons.
Friends was led by Woolf Jr., who finished with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including four three-pointers, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He also added seven rebounds, six assists, and a steal. Collin Maclin came up clutch for the Falcons but also scored 21 points while knocking down three three-pointers and pulling down four rebounds.
Cahlese Lee contributed 19 points, connecting on five three-pointers to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Ringo Deng turned in an all-around effort with five points, six rebounds, five steals, two assists, and a block, while Eli Benning provided a strong spark off the bench with nine points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
As a team, Friends outrebounded Bethel 34–32 and totaled 20 assists on 34 made field goals. The Falcons also knocked down 15 three-pointers, the second-most in a game this season, trailing only their 17 made threes against Baker on Oct. 30th. Friends also shot an impressive 51.7 percent from beyond the arc (15-of-29), marking the team's second-highest three-point percentage of the season, just behind its 51.9 percent performance against William Woods on Nov. 8th.
With the win, Friends improved to 10–3 in KCAC play and 15–4 overall. Due to the forecasted major winter storm this weekend, the Falcons will now host Kansas Wesleyan University next Monday night (Jan. 26) inside the Garvey Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
