The Lowdown: McPherson College at No. 16 Friends University
Location: Wichita, Kan. | Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 5:00 PM
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Flying with the Falcons: The No. 16 Friends University Falcons enter Saturday's matchup against the McPherson College Bulldogs with a 15-4 record in KCAC play and a 20-5 record overall. The Falcons are currently tied for second place in the KCAC with the Bulldogs. The winner of this matchup will claim sole possession of second place with just two games remaining in the regular season. Friends is coming off an 86-82 overtime win over Sterling on Wednesday (Feb. 11).
Cahlese Lee is the leading scorer for the Falcons, averaging 16 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range.
Collin Maclin is second on the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game while adding 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He's shooting an efficient 53.7 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range.
Maclin earned KCAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week honors after a dominant stretch last week. He poured in a career-high 35 points at Ottawa (Feb. 7), while also surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career, leading the Falcons to wins over both Tabor and Ottawa. HERE
Randy Woolf, Jr. provides an all-around presence for the Falcons, averaging 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Woolf Jr. has been highly efficient shooting 52.1 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from the three-point line (1st in KCAC), and 90 percent from the free-throw line (1st in KCAC).
Ringo Deng continues to be a versatile contributor for the Falcons, averaging 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the three-point line.
Freshman Eli Benning has been key for the Falcons, averaging 7.6 points and 3.9 assists per game while leading the Falcons in steals, and sitting third in the KCAC at 2.3 per contest.
Built on Efficiency: As a team, Friends has been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the KCAC throughout the regular season. The Falcons rank first in the conference in scoring (85.8 points per game), second in field goals made per game (31.2), and third in field-goal percentage (48.8).
From beyond the arc, Friends ranks first in the KCAC in three-point makes per game (10.3) and second in three-point percentage (37.1). 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 46.7 percent. Cahlese Lee adds another major perimeter threat, ranking second in the KCAC with 69 three-pointers made this season and second at 2.8 made threes per game.
Winning the Possession Game: Friends' offensive success is fueled by elite ball movement and execution. The Falcons average 19.3 assists per game, ranking first in the KCAC and are tied for third nationally in the NAIA, highlighting their ability to score efficiently while sharing the basketball.
Randy Woolf, Jr. (T-3rd), Eli Benning (5th), and Ringo Deng (9th) all rank among the top 10 in the conference in assists per game.
Scouting the Bulldogs: The McPherson College Bulldogs enter Saturday's matchup with a 15-4 record in KCAC play and a 19-6 mark overall. The Bulldogs are coming off an 86-76 road victory at York on Wednesday (Feb. 11).
McPherson is led by Korbin Gunn, the KCAC's leading scorer at 18.9 points per game. He also adds 4.5 rebounds per contest and ranks second in the conference in assists, averaging 4.4 per game. The Bulldogs feature two additional double-figure scorers in Tarrance Austin (10.5 ppg) and KJ Marshall (10.1 ppg).
Defensively, McPherson is anchored by two of the conference's top shot-blockers in Marshall who ranks third in the KCAC at 1.2 blocks per game, and Labron Wilson who is tied for fourth at 1.1 blocks per contest.
As a team, the Bulldogs lead the conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.9) and total rebounds per game (37.8). They also top the KCAC in blocks per game at 3.5.
The Series: Saturday's matchup will mark the 47th all-time meeting between the two programs. Friends leads the series 28-18 and secured the most recent victory earlier this season, earning an 89-78 road win over McPherson.
The Falcons also hold a 17-8 advantage in home contests against the Bulldogs. Their most recent home victory at the Garvey came during the 2024-25 season, when Friends delivered a commanding 102-78 win over McPherson.
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.
Setting the Tone: A strong first half has been key for Friends, who are 16–2 when holding the halftime lead, their only two losses coming against No. 3-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Winning the Possession Battle: Friends posts a 19–3 record when leading in assists, and a 16-3 record when committing fewer turnovers suggesting that offensive efficiency and ball movement are key drivers of the Falcons' success.
Efficiency Translates: Friends are 17-0 when leading in field-goal percentage, highlighting the importance of offensive efficiency in their success.
Buckets on Buckets on More Buckets: Cahlese Lee, Ringo Deng, Randy Woolf, Jr., Devin Davis, and Collin Maclin 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., who achieved the milestone in the win over McPherson. Davis eclipsed 1,000 career points in the Falcons' victory at Sterling. Most recently, Maclin officially joined the 1,000-point club after surpassing the milestone in the Falcons' win at Ottawa last week (Feb. 7).
Falcons by the Numbers (2025-26)
Overall record: 20-5
KCAC: 15-4
Home: 9-2
Road: 9-3
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-0
70-79 points: 5-4
80-89 points: 6-1
90+ points: 9-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 2-0
60-69 points: 6-0
70-79 points: 7-3
80-89 points: 5-2
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 16-2
When trailing at halftime: 3-3
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 16-3
When committing more turnovers: 4-2
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 17-0
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 3-5
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 15-3
When trailing in three-point percentage: 4-2
When three-point percentage is tied: 1-0
When leading in rebounding: 14-1
When trailing in rebounding: 5-4
When rebounding is tied: 1-0
When leading in assists: 19-3
When trailing in assists: 1-2
When assists are tied: 0-0
In OT: 2-0
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).
TJ Eskildsen will be entering his seventh season as the Head Coach for the Men's Basketball program at McPherson College. Eskildsen previously served as Assistant Coach for nine seasons. In his time as the Head Coach, Eskildsen's teams have finished in the top half of the KCAC four out of six seasons. The Bulldogs enter the 2025-2026 season looking to continue an upward trajectory in the KCAC.
Up Next: The Friends University Falcons will wrap up their regular-season home slate next Wednesday (Feb. 18), as they host the Southwestern College Moundbuilders. The contest marks the second meeting of the season between the two programs. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. inside the Garvey Center.
