The Lowdown: McPherson College at No. 22 Friends University

Location: Garvey Center        

When: Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 3 pm

Broadcast

Live Stats

Flying with the Falcons: The No. 22-ranked Friends University Falcons fell 58-46 to the Sterling College Lady Warriors on Wednesday evening (Feb. 11) and are now 20-5 overall and tied for third in the KCAC at 14-5 in the league. Read the full recap of the loss vs. Sterling HERE.  

Despite missing time with an injury, Rayland Garner leads the Falcons and is tied for second in the KCAC in scoring (18.6 ppg) while ranking fifth in the league in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and fifth in steals (2.4 spg). Lauryn McIver is averaging a solid stat line of 15.0 ppg, 6.3 rebounds and a team-high 5.4 assists that is third in the KCAC. Katie Weiss has hit a team-leading 58 threes and Abigail Barr is third on the team in scoring (14.2 ppg) and ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (58.6).

As a team, the Falcons are currently second in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (46.4) while ranking third in field-goal percentage defense (39.1).

Scouting the Bulldogs: The McPherson College Bulldogs have lost nine straight and are currently 7-17 overall and 3-15 within the KCAC.

Maizen Gillam is tops on the Bulldogs in scoring (12.2 ppg), with Olivia Bell second with 10.2 ppg while leading the team in assists (2.7 apg). Margaret Ajayi is leading McPherson with 6.8 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Falcons were victorious 91-62 on the road in the first matchup this season and have now won eight straight in the series.  Friends is 36-9 overall vs. McPherson since 2005, with a sparkling 20-3 record in Wichita during that stretch.

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.

Assisting in History: Senior guard Lauryn McIver currently has 372 career assists, just 10 shy of Megan Vinzant's modern-era career record of 382.

First Time for Everything: Wednesday's 58-46 loss vs. Sterling marked the first time all season the Falcons lost when allowing less than 70 points and when leading in rebounding (48-36). The Falcons entered the night 13-0 when holding the opposition under 70 points and 16-0 when having an edge on the glass.

70 or Below: The Falcons are 13-1 when holding the opposition under the 70-point mark this season but are a bit more pedestrian 7-4 when allowing at least 70 points.

Boarding School: The Falcons are 16-1 when leading in rebounding but are 4-4 when trailing on the boards.

Make it Make Sense: It's Basketball 101 that it's hard to win when losing the turnover battle, but the Falcons have defied that logic all year.  Friends is 11-2 this season when committing more turnovers than the opposition, with last Saturday's setback at Ottawa University and Wednesday's loss vs. Sterling College representing the only two games all season the Falcons lost when committing more turnovers.

Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 20-1 when leading in field-goal percentage but have lost all four games that the opposition shoots a better percentage from the floor.

2 X 1000: Senior guard Lauryn McIver scored 16 points at Oklahoma Wesleyan (Jan. 10) to join teammate Rayland Garner as the ninth member of the modern era to reach 1,000 career points for the Women's Basketball Falcons. Garner reached the mark earlier this season, also against Oklahoma Wesleyan (Nov. 19). 

Falcons by the Numbers

Overall record: 20-5

KCAC: 14-5

Home: 9-3

Road: 11-2

Neutral: 0-0

When scoring:                                         

Under 50 points: 0-1

50-59 points: 1-1

60-69 points: 4-2

70-79 points: 3-0

80-89 points: 10-1

90+ points: 2-0

When allowing:

Under 50 points: 1-0

50-59 points: 2-1

60-69 points: 10-0

70-79 points: 5-3

80-89 points: 1-0

90+ points: 1-1 

When leading at halftime: 12-1

When trailing at halftime: 8-4

When tied at halftime: 0-0

When committing fewer turnovers: 6-2

When committing more turnovers: 11-2

When turnovers are even: 3-1

When leading in field-goal percentage: 20-1

When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-4

When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0

When leading in three-point percentage: 11-1

When trailing in three-point percentage: 8-3

When three-point percentage is even: 1-1

When leading in rebounding: 16-1

When trailing in rebounding: 4-4

When rebounding is even: 0-0

When leading in assists: 13-1

When trailing in assists: 5-3

When assists are even: 2-1

In OT: 1-0

The Coaches:

Dean Jaderston is in his seventh season at the helm of the Friends University women's basketball program. The Falcon women's basketball program has seen considerable growth under his leadership both on and off the court. Their consistency and competitiveness have led to an 81-43 record over the past four years, including two trips to the KCAC championship game in the past three seasons.

Jaderston brought a wealth of experience to Friends University, having coached for over 30 years (24 years in college and 13 years in high school). On December 13, 2022, he recorded his 300th career collegiate win vs. Tabor College.

As a men's basketball coach Jaderston was a two-time KCAC Coach of the Year. He coached six NAIA All-America performers during his tenure at Sterling College. He also led his teams to two KCAC championships and one KCAC tournament championship.

Prior to taking over at Sterling, Jaderston served in the dual role of men's basketball head coach and assistant athletic director at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL for five seasons.

Before entering the college ranks, he spent eight seasons as both the head girls' basketball and head girls' and boys' tennis coach at Rosemount High School in Rosemount, MN, and 4 years as the head boys' basketball coach at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN.

As an athlete Jaderston was a successful college basketball player at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, MN.  He was a four-time all-conference selection while helping the team advance to four national tournaments. He also earned All-America and Academic All-America during his college career. He also competed in tennis for three years at Crown and was a two-time conference singles and three-time conference doubles champion. In 2024 he was inducted into the Crown College Athletic Hall of Fame.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History/Secondary Education from Crown College in 1989 and then completed a Master of Arts in Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy from Adler Graduate School in 1998.

Jaderston and his wife Julie have been married for 38. They also currently serve as executive directors of a premier summer Christian family conference called Northern Pines of Minnesota. They have three married sons and nine grandchildren.

Alex Moorehead is in his first season as head coach of the McPherson College women's basketball program. This past summer, Moorehead served as a coach with PhD Hoops at the United World Games in Austria, where he was a part of Team USA finishing as the No. 1 seed and winning a bronze medal.

Before arriving at McPherson, Moorehead was the head coach at Ave Maria University for four seasons and was named Sun Conference Coach of the Year and WBCA Region 6 Coach of the Year during his time there.

He was also the head coach at Deer Creek High School for four years and had assistant coaching stops at California State University Maritime Academy and Bishop McGuinness High School.

Moorehead's playing career includes time playing professionally overseas in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Indonesia from 2012-13 and also in Ireland's Super League from 2013-14.

Up Next: The Falcons will wrap up their three-game homestand and play their final regular season game in the Garvey Wednesday evening (Feb. 18) at 6 pm vs. Southwestern College.