The Lowdown: No. 17 Friends University at University of Saint Mary
Location: Leavenworth, Kan.
When: Wednesday, Jan. 28 @ 8:00 PM
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 17 Friends University Falcons enter Wednesday's matchup against the University of Saint Mary Spires with an 11-3 record in KCAC play and a 16-4 record overall. Friends is coming off a dominant offensive performance against Kansas Wesleyan, defeating the Coyotes 105-84 in the Garvey Center. The Falcons will now take on the Spires on the road in Leavenworth, Kan.
Cahlese Lee continues to lead the Falcons, averaging 15.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range. Collin Maclin is Friends' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.
Ringo Deng is a versatile contributor for the Falcons, averaging 10.9 points, a team-high 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. Deng was recently selected as KCAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Bethel College where he recorded five steals, six rebounds, and a block to help lead the Falcons to an overtime win. HERE
Randy Woolf, Jr. provides an all-around presence, averaging 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a team-high 4.1 assists per contest. Woolf Jr. has been highly efficient, shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 49.3 percent from the three-point line (1st in KCAC), and 87.8 percent from the free-throw line (2nd in KCAC).
Freshman Eli Benning is a key spark off the bench, averaging 7 points, 3.7 assists per game while leading the Falcons in steals and ranking third in the KCAC at 2.5 per contest.
Built on Efficiency: As a team, Friends has been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the KCAC. The Falcons now rank first in the conference in scoring (84.8 points per game), second in made field goals per game (30.7), and third in field-goal percentage (48.3).
From beyond the arc, Friends ranks second in the KCAC in three-point makes per game (10.3) and second in three-point percentage (37.2). Friends features one of the conference's most efficient three-point shooters in Randy Woolf, Jr., who ranks first in the KCAC in three-point percentage at 49.3%. Cahlese Lee adds another major perimeter threat, ranking second in the KCAC with 55 three-pointers made this season and second with an average of 2.8 made threes per game.
Winning the Possession Game: Friends' offensive success is fueled by elite ball movement and execution. The Falcons average 19.2 assists per game, ranking first in the KCAC and 5th nationally in the NAIA, highlighting their ability to score efficiently while sharing the basketball.
Randy Woolf, Jr. (4th), Ringo Deng (T-6th), and Eli Benning (T-6th) 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 10.5 per game. Defensively, Friends ranks fourth in the conference in steals with 9.3 per contest, led by Benning, who is 2nd in the KCAC with 50 steals on the season.
Scouting the Spires: The USM Spires enter Wednesday's matchup with a 7-7 record in KCAC play and 13-7 record overall, coming off an 86-61 victory at Bethany College on Monday (Jan. 26).
USM are led by Kaeden Bonner, who averages 15.8 points, while shooting the third-best percentage from three in the conference at 45.8 percent. The Spires feature three additional double figure scorers in Jordan Brown (13.8), Cam Edwards (13.2), and Terrius Walker (10.8).
The Series: Wednesday's matchup marks the 46th meeting between the two programs. Friends leads the all-time series 30-15. Friends dropped the most recent matchup, which came during the 2024-25 season where they fell to the Spires in the Garvey Center in the semifinals of the KCAC Postseason Tournament, 69-52. However, the Falcons hold a 12-9 record on the road, with the Falcons last win over the Spires on the road coming during the 2023-24 season with a 71-57 win.
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.
Winning the Possession Battle: Friends posts a a 14-0 record when leading in field-goal percentage, a 15–2 record when leading in assists, and a 14-2 record when committing fewer turnovers suggesting that offensive efficiency and ball movement are key drivers of the Falcons' success.
Owning the Glass: When the the Falcons win the rebounding battle, they're a perfect 10–0.
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' road victory against Kansas Wesleyan, followed by Woolf Jr. in the road win over McPherson. Davis was the most recent Falcon to surpass the career milestone.
Falcons by the Numbers (2025-26)
Overall record: 16-4
KCAC: 11-3
Home: 7-2
Road: 7-2
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: 6-0
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: 2-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 13-2
When trailing at halftime: 2-2
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 14-2
When committing more turnovers: 2-2
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: 12-2
When trailing in three-point percentage: 3-2
When three-point percentage is tied: 1-0
When leading in rebounding: 10-0
When trailing in rebounding: 5-4
When rebounding is tied: 1-0
When leading in assists: 15-2
When trailing in assists: 1-2
When assists are tied: 0-0
In OT: 1-0
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).
Troy Brown took over as interim head coach in November 2014. He was given full reigns of the Spire program in March 2015 following a 22-9 campaign and a 2nd place finish (13-5) in the KCAC. Prior, Brown served as the head assistant coach for the Spires from 2011-2014. Since joining the program Coach Brown has been instrumental in recruiting and developing 115 KCAC All-Conference players and four NAIA All-Americans, which included two KCAC Player of the Years, two KCAC Newcomer of Years, three KCAC All Defensive players and 3 KCAC All Freshman players. In his first year as assistant he helped guide the Spires to the best record in school history, 25-6. Over the course of his tenure, Coach Brown has helped lead the team to 20+ win seasons four times with 17 wins coming in the other three seasons. In 2022, Coach Brown was named one of the top 100 most impactful coaches in NAIA Basketball by Silver Waves Media.
Up Next: The Falcons will be back in the Garvey Center on Saturday (Jan. 31) to take on the Avila University Eagles. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
