KCAC

[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons clash with (RV) Southwestern tomorrow night

The Lowdown: (RV) Southwestern College at Friends UniversityLocation: Garvey CenterWhen: Saturday, Feb. 5 @ 7 pmBroadcast and Live Stats: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Friends University Falcons stormed back and wound up taking a six-point lead in the second half, but the Ottawa University Braves responded with a 15-2 run and went on to a 75-72 win on Tuesday (Feb. 1) in Ottawa, Kan. The loss dropped the Falcons to 7-18 overall and 6-13 in the KCAC.   Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg), with Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) second in scoring with 13.3 ppg along with a team-best 2.6 assists per game. Drew Patterson (FR/Charlotte, NC) is also averaging 9.9 ppg while shooting a team-high 42.5 percent (51-120) from three-point distance that is good for fifth in the KCAC.  Scouting the Builders: The (RV) Southwestern College Moundbuilders are on a roll, having won 11 of their last 12 games to move to 21-4 overall and 15-4 in the KCAC. The Builders' current hot stretch started with a 79-64 win over the Falcons back on Dec. 11 in Winfield, Kan.The Builders sport the top scorer in the KCAC and second-leading rebounder, as Cevin Clark is scoring 19.8 ppg and Andrew O'Brien has pulled down 10.8 rpg this season. Clark is also third in the league in three-point percentage (45.5 percent) and O'Brien is fourth in assists (3.9 apg), right behind team-leader Zhahidi Robinson's 4.0 assists per game.  Robinson is also second in scoring with 14.3 ppg and Deng Bol is scoring 13.9 ppg.The Series: The Falcons and Builders split last season's series, with each team winning on the opposing floor.  Friends dropped the first matchup this year on the road and are now 7-12 in the 19 meetings vs. Southwestern.       Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth:"We've had a good week of practice, and our guys have shown a lot of resilience over this tough stretch we've been on. We continue to get closer to putting 40 minutes of basketball together, and once we figure that out, we will be tough to beat. Southwestern has a great basketball team, and they play extremely hard the entire game. I'm excited that we get the opportunity to play what will be a very physical and fast-paced game."Immediate Impact: Newcomer Alex Gray (FR) has wasted no time in making his mark for the Friends University men's basketball game. In just eight career games, Gray is averaging 12.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 2.8 apg. Gray is coming off a career-high 25 points vs. Ottawa and also has a 15 rebound game under his belt in the Falcons' 81-70 win over York (Jan. 24).Three-Point Shootout: It seems every game the Falcons' Drew Patterson is squaring off with a fellow top three-point threat in the KCAC, and this matchup vs. Southwestern is no different. Patterson is still fifth in the KCAC in three-point percentage (42.5 percent), while the Builders' Cevin Clark is just ahead in third (45.5 percent).Make or Miss League: Sometimes the game of basketball is as simple as just making more shots than the team you're playing against.  That's been the case this season for the Friends University Men's Basketball Falcons, who are 7-4 when they lead in field-goal percentage, but are winless all 14 times that the opposition shoots better from the floor.Sponsor Alerts: Friends University Athletics is excited to have Home2 Suites by Hilton back as an official athletic sponsor this season! For more on what they can offer, click HERE to visit their official webpage.Friends University Athletics also welcomes Phoenix Home Care and Hospice as a sponsor this season! For more info on what they can provide, click HERE.Tickets: Fans are able to tickets all home basketball games by clicking HERE.Falcons by the Numbers:Overall record: 7-18KCAC: 6-13Home: 5-6Road: 2-9Neutral: 0-3When scoring:                                             Under 50 points: 0-050-59 points: 0-460-69 points: 0-870-79 points: 2-680-89 points: 2-090+ points:  3-0When allowing:Under 50 points:50-59 points: 0-060-69 points: 2-170-79 points: 3-1080-89 points: 2-690+ points: 0-1When leading at halftime: 7-5When trailing at halftime: 0-13When tied at halftime: 0-0When committing more turnovers: 6-17When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in field-goal percentage: 7-4When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-14When leading in three-point percentage: 7-8When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-10When leading in rebounding: 5-8When trailing in rebounding: 2-10When leading in assists: 6-3When trailing in assists: 1-14When assists are even: 0-1In OT: 0-0The Coaches:Austin McBeth is in his first season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.McBeth arrived at Friends following a highly successful stint as the head assistant coach at NCAA D-II Truman State University of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).Serving as the recruiting coordinator for Truman State, McBeth was at the heart of a team that won the GLVC regular-season championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA D-II National Tournament.At Truman, McBeth also served in roles as the director of strength and conditioning, academic advisor for "at risk" players, summer camp director, director of community service while being heavily involved in fundraising and skill development for guards and post players.McBeth's coaching experience includes head assistant coaching stops at the University of Illinois-Springfield, also of the GLVC and NAIA program Montreat College in Black Mountain, NC.He was also a part of his alma mater team, the Iowa State University men's basketball program under head coach Fred Hoiberg, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.McBeth was a Volunteer GA Assistant Coach at ISU in 2013 and served as a camp instructor for the Cyclones in the summer of 2012.Off the court, McBeth is the perfect fit for the Friends University Christian mission, having served as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) President at Iowa State while also filling the role of an FCA Co-Sponsor at Iowa State, Montreat and Illinois-Springfield. In addition, he has authored two books on coaching philosophies and the important role that coaches play in the lives of athletes.Matt O'Brien is in his 13th season as head coach of the Southwestern College Moundbuilders and is now the winningest coach in school history.  O'Brien has guided Southwestern to a winning record in all 12 seasons thus far in his tenure, including a conference regular season championship that earned him KCAC Coach of the Year honors in 2018. In that 2017-18 season, O'Brien led the Builders to a KCAC tournament championship, their second consecutive NAIA second round appearance and a 27-8 overall record that netted them a No. 6 ranking in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.Before arriving at Southwestern, O'Brien was the head coach at Central Christian College and an assistant coach at Friends University for seven seasons.  Three of O'Brien's seasons at Friends came under former Falcon head coach Dale Faber.Up Next: The Falcons will play at Sterling College Wednesday night (Feb. 9) at 8 pm in Sterling, Kan. The Falcons won 87-73 over the Warriors in the first meeting this season (Dec. 13) inside the Garvey Center.