[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons tangle with No. ...
The Lowdown: No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan University at Friends University
"FCA Night"
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Jan. 28 @ 7 pm
Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3WI3He7
Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons were tripped up 72-61 Thursday night (Jan. 26) at Avila University to come in at 4-17 overall and 3-12 in the KCAC.
Ian Konek leads the Falcons with 14.3 points per game, while Al Emerllahu (10.9 ppg, 56.4 percent) and Tim Barbieri (10.8 ppg, 60.5 percent)) both average double-figure scoring and rank within the top five of the KCAC in field-goal percentage. Barbieri also leads the team and is third in the league with 8.2 rebounds per game, with Drew Patterson recording a team-leading two assists per game for the Falcons.
Scouting the Eagles: As has often been the case during the tenure of head coach Donnie Bostwick, the No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles find themselves at the top of the KCAC and in the elite class nationally. The Eagles are 19-3 overall and 14-2 overall in the KCAC, but have dropped their last two games at Bethany College and at home vs. Bethel College. The Eagles are now just one-half game in front of Kansas Wesleyan University for the top spot in the league.
Jaden Lietzke is anchoring the Eagles this season with team-highs in both points (16.1 ppg) and rebounds (7.0 rpg). Kaleb Stokes is right behind Lietzke with 12.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg, while Derrick Talton Jr. leads OKWU with 4.8 assists on the season.
The Series: The Falcons fell in the first meeting this season to the Eagles in Bartlesville, Okla. and have dropped five straight overall in the series. Friends is now 7-23 vs. OKWU since the 2004 season.
Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth:
"It's always exciting to get to play the second-ranked team in the country at home. OKWU is a great team, and they do everything at a high level, so it will take a great effort from all of our guys tomorrow night. It's "Wear Red Night" in the Garvey, so we hope to have a great atmosphere!"
FCA Night at the Garvey: Saturday night is FCA Night, with $1 of every ticket sold going to Friends University FCA Campus Representative Keith Townsend. If you're unable to attend the game but still want to contribute to the program, click HERE.
Shooting Accuracy: The matchup between the Falcons and Eagles will feature the KCAC's top two field-goal percentage leaders and three of the top five. OKWU's Jaden Lietzke is shooting a league-leading 68.8 percent from the floor this season, followed by the Falcons' Tim Barbieri in second (60.5 percent). Al Emerllahu also ranks fifth in the conference with a 56.4 percent field-goal percentage in his first season at Friends.
Welcome to the Club: Senior guard Ian Konek became the 10th member of the modern-era 1,000-point club in Friends University Men's Basketball history back on Dec. 3 vs. Ottawa University. Konek now has 1,104 career points and currently leads the Falcons with 14.3 ppg this season.
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.
Tickets: Fans are able to purchase tickets for all home basketball games by clicking HERE.
Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall record: 4-17
KCAC: 3-12
Home: 3-6
Road: 1-10
Neutral: 0-1
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-2
60-69 points: 0-6
70-79 points: 1-6
80-89 points: 2-3
90+ points: 1-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 2-0
70-79 points: 1-8
80-89 points: 1-7
90+ points: 0-2
When leading at halftime: 3-6
When trailing at halftime: 1-10
When tied at halftime: 0-1
When committing fewer turnovers: 1-1
When committing more turnovers: 3-16
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 4-7
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-9
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-1
When leading in three-point percentage: 3-6
When trailing in three-point percentage: 1-11
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in rebounding: 4-6
When trailing in rebounding: 0-10
When rebounding is tied: 0-1
When leading in assists: 4-7
When trailing in assists: 0-9
When assists are tied: 0-1
In OT: 1-1
The Coaches:
Austin McBeth is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.
In his debut season, McBeth coached two All-KCAC performers and a pair of all-freshman members.
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 and 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 a 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.
Donnie Bostwick is in the sixth season of his second tenure as head coach of the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles and has guided the program to the NAIA National Tournament each season since returning. Last season, Bostwick guided the Eagles to both the KCAC regular season and tournament championship before taking the Eagles on a run to the NAIA National Championship quarterfinal round.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Bostwick led the team to an NAIA National Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance.
In his first year back at the helm in the 2017-18 season, Bostwick guided the Eagles to an NAIA national quarterfinal berth, a KCAC tournament championship and a 26-9 overall record.
Bostwick previously served four seasons as head coach at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, where he led SAGU to an NAIA Division I National Championship game appearance in 2013. In his first run at OKWU, Bostwick guided the Eagles to an NAIA Division II national championship in 2009.
Up Next: The Falcons will travel to Ottawa, Kan. to face the Ottawa University Braves next Wednesday night (Feb. 1) at 8 pm.