The Lowdown: No. 20 Friends University at Ottawa University
Location: Ottawa, Kan.
When: Saturday, Feb. 7 @ 1 pm
Broadcast
Live Stats
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 20-ranked Friends University Falcons rallied from 13 down at halftime and grinded out a 74-71 overtime victory at the Tabor College Bluejays Wednesday evening (Feb. 4) for their fourth straight win. The Falcons are now 20-3 overall and remain in second place in the KCAC with a 14-3 league record, two games behind front-runner Evangel University. Read the full recap of the victory at Tabor HERE!
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 fourth in steals (2.4 spg). Lauryn McIver is averaging a solid stat line of 14.6 ppg and 6.4 rebounds with a team-high 5.6 assists that is tied for second in the KCAC. Katie Weiss has hit a team-leading 56 threes on a solid 37.3 percent shooting clip from three-point distance. Abigail Barr is second on the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) and also ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (59.7).
The Falcons are currently second in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (47.1) while ranking third in the league in both points scored per game (77.5) and field-goal percentage defense (39.0).
Scouting the Braves: The Ottawa University Braves have won two straight games to move to 14-9 overall and 9-8 in the KCAC.
Dominique Schutte is tops on the Braves in scoring (12.7 ppg), while McKinley Kruger is right behind at 12.4 ppg along with a team-leading 2.4 assists. Aaliyah Brown is leading Ottawa with 6.3 rebounds per game on the season.
The Braves currently rank in the top five of the KCAC in both points scored per game (76.0) and points allowed per game (68.6).
The Series: The Falcons have won six straight in the series and are 35-13 vs. the Braves since 2004, with a 13-10 mark on the road during that span. Friends won the first meeting this season 79-61 at home.
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.
70 or Below: The Falcons are undefeated at 13-0 when holding the opposition under the 70-point mark this season.
Boarding School: The Falcons have won all 16 games when leading in rebounding but are 4-3 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 a perfect 11-0 this season when committing more turnovers than the opposition.
Make or Miss League: The Falcons are 20-1 when leading in field-goal percentage but have lost both 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 at Friends University. Garner reached the mark earlier this season, also against Oklahoma Wesleyan (Nov. 19).
Falcons by the Numbers
Overall record: 20-3
KCAC: 14-3
Home: 9-2
Road: 11-1
Neutral: 0-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 1-1
60-69 points: 4-1
70-79 points: 3-0
80-89 points: 10-1
90+ points: 2-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points: 1-0
50-59 points: 2-0
60-69 points: 10-0
70-79 points: 5-2
80-89 points: 1-0
90+ points: 1-1
When leading at halftime: 12-1
When trailing at halftime: 8-2
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 6-2
When committing more turnovers: 11-0
When turnovers are even: 3-1
When leading in field-goal percentage: 20-1
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-2
When field-goal percentage is even: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 11-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 8-1
When three-point percentage is even: 1-1
When leading in rebounding: 16-0
When trailing in rebounding: 4-3
When rebounding is even: 0-0
When leading in assists: 13-0
When trailing in assists: 5-2
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.
Hunter Bondurant is in his third season as head coach of the Ottawa University women's basketball team.
In his debut season, Bondurant guided the Braves to a 15-14 record.
Before taking over head coaching duties, Bondurant was an assistant coach for Ottawa and helped the Braves win 18 games in 2022-23, the programs most since the 2016-17 campaign.
Prior to joining the Ottawa women's basketball staff, Bondurant had a familiarity on campus after serving as the Assistant Recruiting Coordinator and Director of Social Media for the Braves' men's basketball team for two years.
Before that, Bondurant spent the 2019-20 season as the head coach for the Central High School girls' varsity basketball team in Allentown, Fla.
Bondurant also has experience working with the Auburn University men's basketball program from 2010-12 and played collegiately at Millsaps College.
Up Next: The Falcons will begin a three-game homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 11) vs. Sterling College for a 6 pm tipoff inside the Garvey Center.
