[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: No. 24 Falcons go for 12th Straight Win Tonight vs. Ottawa
The Lowdown: Ottawa University at No. 24 Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Wednesday, Jan. 16 @ 8 pm
Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/
Flying with the Falcons: The No. 24-ranked Friends University Falcons won for the 11th straight time by dispatching of the University of Saint Mary Spires 84-69 last Saturday night (Jan. 12) inside the Garvey Center.
The 11 consecutive wins continues the Falcons' longest winning streak since the 2013-14 season and has them in solid control of third place in the KCAC at 11-3 and only one game out of second in the league.
Murdock led the Falcons with 30 points and eight rebounds, his 11th game this season of at least 30 points.
James Conley (JR/Derby, Kan. ) also had a solid all-around game of 16 points, eight assists and no turnovers for Friends.
Murdock is leading the Falcons in points (29.4 ppg), rebounds (9.3 rpg) and assists (4.8 apg). He is second in the league and third in the NAIA in points per game, while also ranking second in the KCAC in assists per game and fifth in rebounds.
The Falcons are also receiving double-figure scoring output from Conley (15.4 ppg), Atir Cherne (SR/Wichita, Kan.) (11.4 ppg) and Vernon Vaughn (SR/Kansas City, Kan. ) (11.0 ppg).
Friends is the highest scoring team in the KCAC, averaging nearly 92 points per game that is good for sixth in the NAIA. The Falcons are also first in the league and fourth in the nation in free-throw percentage (.800).
Scouting the Braves: The Ottawa University Braves have won their last two games to sit at 12-8 overall and 9-5 in the KCAC. Last time out, the Braves knocked off No. 10-ranked Southwestern College 113-108 Monday night (Jan. 14).
Isaiah Palmer leads the Braves in both points (21.1 ppg) and rebounds (9.2 rpg), followed by Ryan Haskins with 12.4 ppg. Ottawa is also getting double-figure scoring from Tasmania Indaiana Jones (11.2 ppg) and Alex Greisen (10.9 ppg). Jackson Mallory has team-highs in both assists (4.5 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
The Series: The recent history between the Falcons and Braves has been even, as the two schools have split the past 12 meetings. Ottawa won the first matchup this season, 111-100 at home. The Falcons have won three of the last five matchups in Wichita, but fell 104-88 to Ottawa in last season's home outing.
Common Opposition: The Friends University Falcons and Ottawa University Braves have handed the No. 10-ranked Southwestern College Moundbuilders their only two losses this season. The Falcons won 82-76 earlier this year in Winfield, Kan., while the Braves bested the Builders 113-108 at home Monday night.
Conference and National Recognition: Jordan Murdock (SR/Wichita, Kan.) captured his fourth KCAC Offensive Player of the Week award yesterday and was also named the NAIA Player of the Week later in the day. Murdock averaged 31.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg and four assists per game in fueling the Falcons to three victories last week.
Under 80 is Key: The Falcons have won all 10 outings when holding the opposition below the 80 point mark, compared to a 5-4 mark when allowing 80 or more points.
Streakin' Falcons: The Falcons are rolling along with 11 straight victories, their longest such streak since winning 16 consecutive games in the 2013-14 season.
A Career to Celebrate: Jordan Murdock is putting together a career that will be remembered at Friends University long after his playing days are over. Murdock recently reached the 2,000 career point milestone in his 75th career game after taking only 41 games to score 1,000 career points. Last season's KCAC Player of the Year and first-team NAIA All-America performer, Murdock has scored in double-figures in all but one of his 80 career games at Friends, with a career scoring average of 27.1 ppg.
Falcons by the Numbers:
When scoring:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points:
60-69 points:
70-79 points:
80-89 points: 6-2
90+ points: 9-2
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points:
60-69 points: 5-0
70-79 points: 5-0
80-89 points: 4-1
90+ points: 1-3
When leading at halftime: 15-2
When trailing at halftime: 0-2
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When winning the turnover battle: 12-3
When turnovers are even: 2-1
When losing the turnover battle: 1-0
In OT: 0-1
The Coaches:
Dale Faber is in his 16th season leading the Friends University men's basketball program.
Overall, Faber is 267-215, with a 178-109 mark in KCAC play in his tenure at Friends. He has been named the KCAC Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2014), along with four KCAC Tournament Championships and a pair of KCAC Regular Season Championships.
In the 2017-18 campaign, 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 also coached the KCAC Player of the Year and first-team NAIA All-America performer, Jordan Murdock, who led the nation in scoring (29.8 ppg) last 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 16th 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 31 years, Stacey, live in Wichita.
Aaron Siebenthall is in his fourth season at the helm of the Ottawa University men's basketball program following a nine-year tenure as assistant coach with the Braves.
Up Next: The Falcons will be at No. 1-ranked and conference front-runner Oklahoma Wesleyan University Saturday evening (Jan. 19). Tip-off is set for 7 pm in Bartlesville, Okla. OKWU slipped by the Falcons 86-81 in the first matchup this season (Nov. 26) in Wichita.