KCAC

[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons host York tonight

The Lowdown: York College at Friends UniversityLocation: Garvey CenterWhen: Monday, Jan. 24 @ 8 pmBroadcast and Live Stats: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The short-handed Friends University Falcons battled to the end of their setback to Bethany College Saturday before dropping an outing at Bethel College Wednesday night (Jan. 19) in North Newton, Kan.  The Falcons are currently 6-15 overall and 5-10 in the KCAC.Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounds (5.4 rpg), with Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) second in scoring with 12.1 ppg along with a team-best 2.4 assists per game. Konek's points per game is also good for fifth in the KCAC. Drew Patterson (FR/Charlotte, NC) has caught fire in averaging 22 points over his last four games to increase his overall scoring average to 10.8 ppg on the season. Patterson is also shooting a team-high 44.1 percent (49-of-111) from three-point distance.  Scouting the Panthers: The York College Panthers are coming off a hard-fought 68-62 loss at (RV) Bethel College Saturday (Jan. 22) to fall to 8-14 overall and 5-11 in the KCAC.Keyaun Hoskin is tops on the Panthers and second in the KCAC in scoring with 19.2 ppg this season. Erik Talton is second on the team with 15.0 ppg and Brent Clark is averaging 12.8 ppg along with a team-high 2.8 assists. Luka Gelb leads York with 7.9 rebounds per game on the season.The Series: The Falcons dropped the lone meeting at York last season and are now an even 8-8 vs. the Panthers in the last 16 meetings. Friends is 4-3 against York in Wichita during that stretch.      Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth:"York is a talented team. They just came off a tough loss at Bethel, and that says a lot about how good they can be. It is going to take a great effort from all of our guys tonight. With the absence of several guys due to COVID over the last three games, it's forced people who don't always play big minutes to step up. I think if we can handle York's defensive pressure and commit to giving great effort when we're on defense we can put ourselves in a position to win. Having our football team show up with the energy they brought when we played Bethany was incredible. I hope we can draw from that energy tonight when we need it!"Three-Point Shootout: Two of the better three-point shooters in the KCAC will be featured in tonight's matchup between the Falcons and Panthers. The Falcons' Drew Patterson is fifth in the league in three-point percentage (44.1 percent), followed by York's Jordan Marble in sixth (42.6 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 have emerged victorious on six of the seven occasions they've led in field-goal percentage, but are winless all 14 times that the opposition shoots better from the floor. Additionally, the Falcons are 6-5 when leading in three-point percentage, but are 0-10 when the opposition shoots better from the perimeter.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: 6-15KCAC: 5-10Home: 4-5Road: 2-7Neutral: 0-3When scoring:                                             Under 50 points: 0-050-59 points: 0-460-69 points: 0-670-79 points: 2-580-89 points: 1-090+ points:  3-0When allowing:Under 50 points:50-59 points: 0-060-69 points: 2-170-79 points: 2-780-89 points: 2-690+ points: 0-1When leading at halftime: 6-4When trailing at halftime: 0-11When tied at halftime: 0-0When committing more turnovers: 5-14When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in field-goal percentage: 6-1When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-14When leading in three-point percentage: 6-5When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-10When leading in rebounding: 4-6When trailing in rebounding: 2-9When leading in assists: 6-3When trailing in assists: 0-11When 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.Tree Burks is in his fifth season as head coach of the York College Panthers. In his first year at the helm, Burks guided the Panthers to 17 wins that featured three victories over NAIA Top 20 teams. This is Burks' ninth season overall with the program, including two years as associate head coach that featured consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances and a KCAC tournament title.Up Next: The Falcons will be at McPherson College Wednesday night (Jan. 27) at 8 pm in McPherson, Kan. In the first matchup this season, the Falcons routed the Bulldogs 97-61 (Dec. 2) inside the Garvey Center.