[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons Look to Start Winning Streak Tomorrow vs. McPherson
The Lowdown: McPherson College at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Dec. 5 @ 2 pm
Broadcast and Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/
Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons broke into the win column in a big way with an 81-73 victory over the No. 14-ranked Ottawa University Braves Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 2). A game-deciding run in the second half proved to be the difference, as a putback by PJ Medrano (SR/San Antonio, Texas) served as the springboard for a 9-0 spurt that gave the Falcons control of the game.
TJ Williams (SR/Arlington, Texas) also scored a pair of buckets, including a three-point play that put Friends up 67-59 at the 4:16 mark.
Following a free throw by Perry Carroll that temporarily halted the run, Ian Konek (SO/Long Beach, Calif.) drilled a three that helped extend the burst to 14-1 and made it a commanding 73-60 advantage.
The Falcons dominated the interior, outrebounding the Braves 56-34, with scoring edges of 28-6 in the paint and 19-7 in second-chance points.
Davonte Pack (SR/Sumter, SC) paced the Falcons (1-5, 1-2 KCAC) with a double-double season-high output of 22 points and 12 boards, with Williams adding a career-high 20 points. Nick Rumbo (JR/Kansas City, Kan. ) came off the bench with a career-high 15 points and Tazmine Dunn (FR/Asheboro, NC. ) recorded a career-best 10 boards for the Falcons.
Pack leads the Falcons and is fifth in the KCAC in both points (18.3 ppg) and rebounds (8.5 rpg). He has also recorded a team-high 2.8 assists per game this season. Konek is next in scoring at 17.7 ppg, followed by Williams with 15.3 ppg and a team-best 2.75 steals per game.
Konek is also second in the league and ninth in the NAIA in threes per game (4.0 pg).
Scouting the Bulldogs: The McPherson College Bulldogs fell 85-62 at Bethel College Wednesday (Dec. 2) to snap their four-game winning streak to start the season. The Bulldogs are now 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the KCAC.
Kemryn Jenkins leads the Bulldogs with 17.0 ppg this season, followed by Travon Shelvin at 14.7 ppg. Fred Watts is scoring 14.5 ppg along with a team-leading 7.8 rebounds, while Josh Rivers also averages double-figure scoring (11.2 ppg) and leads the team with 4.2 assists.
The Series: The Falcons have had their way against the Bulldogs, winning 13 of the past 16 matchups overall. Each meeting last season with tight, with the Falcons winning 74-72 in Wichita before McPherson squeaked by with a 114-106 win in overtime in McPherson, Kan.
Quoting Head Coach Dale Faber:
"Back at it Saturday against a very talented Mac squad. Transition defense and rebounding will be two areas that we must excel in. Hopefully we will continue to improve and play as hard and as smart as we can."
200 Times: With Wednesday's 81-73 victory over No. 14-ranked Ottawa University, head coach Dale Faber notched his 200th career conference victory. He is now 200-124 in KCAC action.
Falcons by the Numbers:
When scoring:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-1
70-79 points: 0-1
80-89 points: 1-3
90+ points: 0-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 0-0
70-79 points: 1-1
80-89 points: 0-1
90+ points: 0-3
When leading at halftime: 0-0
When trailing at halftime: 1-5
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When winning the turnover battle: 0-2
When losing the turnover battle: 1-3
When turnovers are even: 0-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Dale Faber enters his 18th season leading the Friends University men's basketball program.
Last season, the Falcons were above the .500 mark for the third straight season with a 17-13 overall record and a 15-9 KCAC mark.
In the 2018-19 campaign, Faber guided the Falcons to their first NAIA National Tournament berth since the 2014-15 season.
That edition of the Falcons finished third in the KCAC while crossing the 20-win plateau at 22-10 overall.
Faber was also instrumental in overseeing the development of the 2017-18 KCAC Player of the Year and two-time NAIA All-America performer, Jordan Murdock.
Overall, Faber is 292-239, with a 200-124 mark in KCAC play in his tenure at Friends. He has been named the KCAC Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2014), and has won four KCAC Tournament Championships and a pair of KCAC Regular Season Championships.
In the 2017-18 season, Faber guided the Falcons to a top five finish in the KCAC after hovering in the top two of the league for much of the season.
Faber's philosophy for building and maintaining a successful program is simple: find good student-athletes with strong values who are dedicated, hardworking, loyal and committed to representing Friends University in a positive light at all times. Known for his quick humor, Coach Faber strives to be supportive in all aspects of his player's lives. The philosophy of faith, family, academics and basketball has become a thought process that continues to fuel his teams.
"Entering our 18th year at Friends University, our goals remain consistent. We should never lose track of what a blessing it is to be able to grow our relationships within our team and the Friends University community. We will work hard to be a team that pursues success on the court but also strives to be well thought of because of our efforts academically and growing our participation in the NAIA Champions of Character Program.
Faber and his wife of 33 years, Stacey, live in Wichita.
T.J. Eskildsen is in his second season at the helm of the McPherson College Bulldogs after a nine-year tenure as an assistant coach with the program. In his first season, Eskildsen led the team to 21 wins and a tied for fourth place finish in the KCAC.
As an assistant coach, Eskildsen helped the Bulldogs win a regular season KCAC championship and advance to the NAIA Division II National Tournament on four occasions.
Up Next: The Falcons will be back home Monday evening (Dec. 7) for a conference tilt vs. Bethel College. Tip-off is set for 6 pm inside the Garvey Center.