The Lowdown: Southwestern College at No. 22 Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Wednesday, Feb. 18 @ 6 pm
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 22-ranked Friends University Falcons got back on track with a wire-to-wire 96-65 victory over the McPherson College Bulldogs on Senior Day Saturday (Feb. 14) behind a career-high tying 28 points from Abigail Barr. The Falcons are now 21-5 overall and remain in third place in the KCAC with a 15-5 league record. Read the full recap of the victory vs. McPherson HERE!
Prior to her injury, Rayland Garner led the Falcons in scoring with 18.6 ppg. Lauryn McIver is averaging a solid stat line of 15.0 ppg, 6.3 rebounds and a team-high 5.5 assists that is tied for second in the KCAC. Katie Weiss has hit a team-leading 61 threes and Barr is third on the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (59.1).
As a team, the Falcons are currently second in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (46.7) and tied for second in points per game (76.4) while ranking third in field-goal percentage defense (38.9).
Scouting the Lady Builders: The Southwestern College Lady Builders are 4-22 overall and 0-20 in the KCAC.
Macey Pond is tops on the Lady Builders in scoring (16.0 ppg) and third in the KCAC in rebounding (9.4 rpg) along with a team-high 3.5 assists per game. Kennedy Ford is also scoring in double-figures with 10.8 ppg.
The Lady Builders are second in the KCAC in rebounding per game (40.3).
The Series: The Falcons won the first meeting this season 87-66 on the road and are now 27-19 against the Lady Builders since 2005. Friends has won 20 of the last 21 matchups between the two schools, with Southwestern winning 82-78 in the second meeting last year to snap a 19-game losing skid in the series. Prior to the Falcons' 19-game winning streak, the Lady Builders had won six straight matchups. Friends is 15-7 vs. Southwestern at home during that stretch and haven't lost in Wichita since the 2014-15 season.
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 380 career assists and is now just two shy of tying Megan Vinzant's modern-era career record of 382.
70 or Below: The Falcons are 14-1 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 17-1 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 the setback at Ottawa University (Feb. 7) and last Wednesday's loss vs. Sterling College (Feb. 11) representing the only two games all season the Falcons lost when committing more turnovers.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 21-1 when leading in field-goal percentage but have lost all four games that the opposition shoots a better percentage from the floor.
First Time for Everything: Las 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.
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: 21-5
KCAC: 15-5
Home: 10-3
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: 3-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 1-0
50-59 points: 2-1
60-69 points: 11-0
70-79 points: 5-3
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 1-1
When leading at halftime: 13-1
When trailing at halftime: 8-4
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 7-2
When committing more turnovers: 11-2
When turnovers are even: 3-1
When leading in field-goal percentage: 21-1
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-4
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 12-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 8-3
When three-point percentage is even: 1-1
When leading in rebounding: 17-1
When trailing in rebounding: 4-4
When rebounding is even: 0-0
When leading in assists: 14-1
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 years. 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.
Josh Burt is in his first season as head coach of the Southwestern College women's basketball program.
Before coming to Southwestern, Burt was an assistant coach at NCAA D-II member Nebraska-Kearney. Burt also has coaching tenures at NCAA D-II Newman University and Bethel College, where he helped Newman make its first-ever MIAA Tournament appearance and Bethel earn their first-ever NAIA National Tournament berth in 2021.
Up Next: The Falcons will hit the road for the 2025-26 regular season finale Saturday (Feb. 21) at Bethany College. Tip-off is set for 5 pm in Lindsborg, Kan.
