WICHITA, Kan. - The No. 16 Friends University Falcons held off a strong second-half rally from the Southwestern College Moundbuilders to earn a 77-74 victory, clinching a second-place finish in the KCAC regular-season standings.
It was truly a game of two halves. Friends controlled the opening period with a dominant performance, building a solid advantage before the break. Southwestern responded with a strong second-half performance, steadily closing the gap and setting up a thrilling finish down the stretch.
Friends limited Southwestern to just 25 first-half points, as the Moundbuilders struggled offensively and shot 30.3 percent from the field over the opening 20 minutes. Despite the slow start, Southwestern knocked down five three-pointers to remain within striking distance.
On the other end, the Falcons were efficient, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Friends was paced by Cahlese Lee, who scored 12 points in the first half to help the Falcons build a 40-25 lead at the break.
Friends opened the second half by extending their advantage, as Al Emerllahu knocked down a free throw to make it 41-25. Southwestern later cut the deficit to 12 with just over 16 minutes remaining, but the Falcons answered with a decisive 10–2 run to rebuild a 20-point cushion and take a 56-36 lead.
Southwestern continued to battle, converting at the free-throw line and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to trim the deficit to 67-61 with five minutes remaining.
With three minutes remaining, Devin Davis extended the Falcons' lead to 73-65 at the free-throw line. Southwestern quickly responded with a run of its own, pulling within one possession at 73-70 with 2:30 to play. Following the timeout, Friends capitalized on its after-timeout set, with Randy Woolf, Jr. threading a pass to Davis for the basket to extend the Falcons' lead to five. The game came down to the final possession, as the Falcons maintained a 77-74 lead with under 30 seconds remaining. Southwestern's potential game-tying three-point attempt was off the mark, sealing Friends' 77-74 victory.
Friends was led by Cahlese Lee, who finished with 19 points, three rebounds, one assist, and a steal. Randy Woolf, Jr. added 17 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Eli Benning recorded a career- and season-high 15 points while dishing out seven assists, grabbing two rebounds, and adding a block. Off the bench, Devin Davis provided a valuable spark, posting his third consecutive double-figure performance with 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
As a team, Friends shot an efficient 51.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down nine three-pointers, while converting 70 percent of its free-throw attempts. Defensively, the Falcons recorded six steals and forced nine Southwestern turnovers, turning those opportunities into 10 points. Friends also held the Moundbuilders below their season averages, limiting them to 42.2 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from three-point range.
With the win, Friends improves to 17-4 in KCAC play and 22-5 overall. The Falcons will close out the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 21) with a road matchup against the Bethany College Swedes. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Lindsborg, Kan.
