KCAC

[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons look to continue momentum tomorrow in regular …

The Lowdown: Kanas Wesleyan University at Friends UniversityLocation: Garvey CenterWhen: Saturday, Feb. 19 @ 7 pmBroadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/What's at Stake: Having already clinched the eighth seed in the KCAC and a home opening round game on Monday night (Feb. 22), a win over Kansas Wesleyan University would give the Falcons their fifth straight win and extend their longest winning streak since being victorious in 12 straight games in the 2018-19 season.  Flying with the Falcons: The Falcons won their fourth straight tilt by answering Saint Mary's 11-0 run with 11 straight points of their own in a 69-63 victory Wednesday night (Feb. 16) in Leavenworth, Kan. The Falcons are now 11-18 overall and 10-13 in the KCAC.Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) is tops on the Falcons in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), with Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) second in scoring with 12.6 ppg along with a team-best 2.6 assists per game. Drew Patterson (FR/Charlotte, NC) is also averaging 9.4 ppg while shooting a team-high 42.4 percent (56-132) from three-point distance.   Scouting the Coyotes: The Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes are 19-9 overall and 14-9 in the KCAC following an 85-74 setback to No. 24-ranked Bethel College Wednesday night (Feb. 16).  Prior to that, the Coyotes had won five out of six outings.   Jun Murdock paces the Coyotes in both points (14.0 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg), with AJ Range second in scoring (12.9 ppg) along with a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game. Range is fifth in the KCAC in field-goal percentage, with teammate Alex Littlejohn ranking even higher in fourth (56.7 percent).The Series: The Falcons knocked off then-No. 19-ranked Kansas Wesleyan in the first matchup of the season in Salina, Kan. and are now 5-7 vs. the Coyotes in the past 12 matchups.  Friends is also an even 3-3 against KWU in the last six meetings in Wichita.        Streaking Falcons: The Friends University Falcons, under first-year head coach Austin McBeth and with multiple freshmen and newcomers seeing significant action, are playing their best basketball of the season heading into postseason play next week.  The Falcons have won four straight games, their longest win streak since the 2018-19 season.Immediate Impact: Newcomer Alex Gray (FR) has wasted no time in making his mark for the Friends University men's basketball team. In just 12 career games, Gray is averaging 11.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 3.1 apg. Last Monday (Feb. 7), Gray was named the KCAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week following a career-high 25-point effort at Ottawa University (Feb. 1).  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 Falcons, who are 11-4 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: 11-18KCAC: 10-13Home: 7-6Road: 4-9Neutral: 0-3When scoring:                                             Under 50 points: 0-050-59 points: 0-460-69 points: 2-870-79 points: 4-680-89 points: 2-090+ points:  3-0When allowing:Under 50 points:50-59 points: 1-060-69 points: 5-170-79 points: 3-1080-89 points: 2-690+ points: 0-1When leading at halftime: 10-5When trailing at halftime: 0-13When tied at halftime: 1-0When committing more turnovers: 10-17When committing fewer turnovers: 1-0When turnovers are tied: 0-1When leading in field-goal percentage: 11-4When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-14When leading in three-point percentage: 11-8When trailing in three-point percentage: 0-10When leading in rebounding: 8-8When trailing in rebounding: 2-10When rebounding is tied: 1-0When leading in assists: 9-3When trailing in assists: 2-14When 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.Anthony Monson is in his sixth season at the helm of the Kansas Wesleyan University men's basketball program. Monson led the Coyotes to 15 conference wins in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, their most since the 2006-07 campaign. In the 2017-18 campaign, Monson guided the Coyotes to their first winning season since 2008-09. Before coming to KWU, Monson served nine seasons as the lead assistant coach at Tabor College.Up Next: The Falcons will host a first round KCAC tournament game as the eighth seed on Tuesday night (Feb. 22) at 7 pm inside the Garvey Center. If the standings hold after Saturday's regular season finales, the Falcons would host Avila University.  Click HERE for the current conference standings.