WICHITA, Kan. - The 6th-seeded Friends University Falcons secured a thrilling 118-112 quadruple-overtime victory over the 11th-seeded Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers Friday night (Mar. 13) at the Garvey Center. Powered by standout performances from several Falcons, Friends held off the Grenadiers to advance to the second round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament.
Friends started strong in the first half, establishing an early rhythm behind back-to-back three-pointers from Owen Evans. The Falcons quickly built a 27-13 lead, opening up a 14-point advantage. IU-Southeast gradually chipped away at the deficit late in the half, trimming the margin to single digits. Friends carried a 37-32 lead into halftime.
The second half opened with the Grenadiers scoring two straight baskets to tie the game 37-37. From that point forward, the matchup remained tight. IU-Southeast eventually claimed its first lead since early in the first half, going ahead 47-46, and the teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of regulation.
With four seconds remaining, IU-Southeast led 74-72 and went to the free-throw line after drawing a foul. The Grenadiers converted the first free throw but missed the second, leaving the door open for Friends. On the Falcons' final possession, Randy Woolf, Jr. pulled up from deep and buried a clutch three-pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime at 75-75.
The teams continued their back-and-forth battle in the first overtime, exchanging baskets before ending in another deadlock at 84-84.
In the second overtime, Friends surged ahead with an 8-0 run. The run was highlighted by a three-pointer from Cahlese Lee that pushed the Falcons' lead to 92-84. The shot also marked Lee's 90th three-pointer of the season, setting a new Friends University Men's Basketball single-season record. IU-Southeast responded with an 8-0 run of its own, tying the game 92-92 and forcing a third overtime.
During the third overtime, the Falcons trailed 98-94 with just over two minutes remaining. Eli Benning stepped up in the clutch, scoring eight points in the period to keep Friends in the game. The teams remained locked at 102-102, sending the game into a fourth overtime.
After 55 minutes of relentless basketball, neither team showed any signs of backing down. The decisive fourth overtime began with Friends forcing a turnover, and Cahlese Lee quickly capitalized with an offensive rebound and putback to give the Falcons the lead. Friends maintained control down the stretch, pushing the advantage to seven points with 20 seconds remaining behind clutch free throws from Eli Benning. From there, the Falcons closed it out to secure the 118-112 victory, advancing to the second round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament after what will surely go down as one of the most thrilling games of the tournament.
Friends was led by six double-figure scorers in the victory. Randy Woolf, Jr. recorded a double-double and paced the Falcons with a career-high 34 points on 50 percent shooting, along with 14 rebounds. He added four assists, two steals, and two blocks, went 12-of-14 from the free-throw line, and played 59 of the game's 60 minutes.
Eli Benning also delivered a career night, posting his first 30-point game with a career-high 31 points. Benning added seven assists, four rebounds, four steals, and a block, while converting 15-of-19 free throws.
Off the bench, Ringo Deng recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, along with two blocks and a steal.
Cahlese Lee finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Owen Evans added 13 points, including three three-pointers, and four rebounds. Devin Davis chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds, and two steals off the bench.
As a team, the Falcons shot 39.6 percent from the field, made nine three-pointers, and went 37-of-49 from the free-throw line, while scoring 42 points in the paint. Friends also dominated the glass, outrebounding IU-Southeast 67-52, including 21 offensive rebounds.
Defensively, the Falcons forced 18 turnovers, collecting 10 steals and converting those into 15 points.
With the win, Friends advances to the second round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament and will face third-seeded Ave Maria University at 5:00 p.m. at the Garvey Center. The winner advances to the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Missouri next week.
