[Women's Basketball] WBB Gameday Preview: Falcons Look to Bounce Back Tomorrow vs. Tabor

The Lowdown: Tabor College at Friends University

Location: Garvey Center

When: Saturday, Jan. 25 @ 5 pm

Broadcast and Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/

Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons had led for more than 22 straight minutes, but the No. 24-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes used a big fourth quarter to overcome a 15-point deficit and survive the Falcons' upset bid 60-56 last night (Jan. 23) in Salina, Kan. The setback puts the Falcons at 10-12 overall and 7-9 in the KCAC.

Patriece Dodson (SR/Wichita, Kan. ) leads the Falcons with 10.5 points per game and is second in the KCAC with 2.5 steals per game. Naria Hall (SR/Wichita, Kan. ) is second in scoring at 10.1 ppg, with HaLee Roland (SR/Wichita, Kan. ) dishing out a team-high 1.8 assists per game. Kira Ward (JR/Hartford, SD) leads the Falcons with 5.9 rebounds per game.  

The Falcons are currently ninth in the NAIA in total steals (277).

Scouting the Bluejays: The Tabor College Bluejays won 53-38 over Bethel College Thursday night (Jan. 23) and have now three of their last four games to come in at 11-9 overall and 10-6 in the KCAC.

Zoe Shieldnight leads the Bluejays with 9.8 ppg and Hannah Gilmore has a team-best 4.8 rebounds. Ashtyn Wiebe leads the team with three assists per game on the season.

The Bluejays win with defense, as they are tops in the NAIA in scoring defense per game (52.2 ppg) and is second in the nation in total rebound defense (30.8).  

The Series: Tabor won the first matchup this season in a defensive battle, 55-39 in Hillsboro, Kan. Prior to that, the Falcons and Bluejays had split the past 12 meetings.   

Turning it Over: When the Falcons' defense forces more turnovers that it commits, they have a winning record of 8-7.  But the Falcons have lost all six times the opposition wins the turnover battle.

Senior Leadership: Returning only two starters this season, the Falcons were in need of veteran guidance.  The senior trio of Patriece Dodson (10.5 ppg), Naria Hall (10.1 ppg) and HaLee Roland (9.2 ppg) have provided just that, as they are the top three scorers this season for the Falcons.  Dodson also leads the Falcons and the KCAC with 2.5 steals per game, with Roland recording a team-high 1.8 assists. Hall is also second on the team in steals (1.9 spg).

70 is a Serious Number: When holding the opposition under the 70-point mark, the Falcons have had success, posting a 10-6 mark. But when the opposing team scores at least 70 points, the Falcons have lost all six games.

Wheat State Insurance Group: We are proud to have Wheat State Insurance Group as a sponsor of Friends University Basketball this season! For more info on what they can offer, check them out at this link: www.wheatstateinsurance.com 

Falcons by the Numbers:

When scoring:

Under 50 points: 0-3

50-59 points: 3-4

60-69 points: 2-4

70-79 points: 2-1

80-89 points: 2-0

90+ points:  1-0

When allowing:

Under 50 points: 2-0

50-59 points: 5-1

60-69 points: 3-5

70-79 points: 0-6

80-89 points: 0-0

90+ points: 0-0

When leading at halftime: 5-3

When trailing at halftime: 5-9

When tied at halftime: 0-0

When winning the turnover battle: 8-7

When losing the turnover battle: 0-5

When turnovers are even: 2-0

In OT: 0-0

The Coaches:

Dean Jaderston is in his first season at the helm of the Friends University women's basketball program.

Jaderston brings a stark familiarity to the Falcons, having served as the head men's basketball coach for KCAC program Sterling College for the past 13 seasons.

At Sterling, Jaderston instilled a winning culture and became the program's all-time winningest coach with 189 career victories. He guided the Warriors to a pair of KCAC regular season championships and also a postseason conference title.

A two-time KCAC Coach of the Year, Jaderston coached six NAIA All-America performers during his tenure at Sterling.

Off the hardwood, Jaderston also made a significant impact, overseeing a team GPA of at least 3.0 for 11 of the past 13 years. He also led three basketball mission trips to Panama.

Prior to taking over at Sterling, Jaderston served in the dual role of head men's basketball coach and athletic director at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. for five seasons.

He also spent eight seasons as both the head women's basketball and women's tennis coach at Rosemount High School in Rosemount, Minn.

Before venturing into the coaching profession, Jaderston was a successful college basketball player at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn.  He was a four-time all-conference selection while helping the team advance to four national tournaments. He also earned All-America and Academic All-America honors at Crown College.

His collegiate athletic career wasn't limited to basketball, as he also competed in tennis for three years at Crown and was a two-time conference singles and doubles champion.

Jaderston and his wife Julie have been married for 32 years and are very active in youth and camping ministries. They currently serve as executive directors of a premier summer Christian family conference called Northern Pines of Minnesota.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History/Secondary Education from Crown College in 1989 and then completed a Master of Arts in Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy from Adler Graduate School in 1998.

Shawn Reed is in his ninth season at the helm of the Tabor College Bluejays. Reed has guided Tabor to three KCAC regular season titles, five league tournament championships and six consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances.

Up Next: The Falcons will play at (RV) Bethany College Wednesday evening (Jan. 29) at 6 pm in Lindsborg, Kan. Friends bested the Swedes 50-45 inside the Garvey Center in the first meeting this season (Dec. 2).