[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Murdock, Hunt Square Off as No. 20 Falcons Host No. ...
The Lowdown: No. 8 Southwestern College at No. 20 Friends University (KCAC Game of the Week)
Location: Garvey Center
When: Monday, Jan. 21 @ 8 pm
Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/
Radio: KKLE: 1550 AM
Flying with the Falcons: In as hard-fought of a wire-to-wire win as possible, the No. 20-ranked Friends University Falcons hung on in the final seconds to close out their 14th win in their last 15 games, 77-74 at the Tabor College Bluejays Thursday night (Jan. 24) in Hillsboro, Kan.
The win improves the Falcons to 18-5 overall and 14-4 in the KCAC, two games shy of No. 8-ranked Southwestern College for second place.
Clinging to a three-point lead in the final seconds, the Bluejays had a chance to tie following two missed free throws by the Falcons, but a three-point attempt by Tevin Berry was off the mark in the final seconds.
Jordan Murdock (SR/Wichita, Kan.) posted another near triple-double line of 24 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Falcons. Zion Fralin (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) scored 16 with six boards and Vernon Vaughn (SR/Kansas City, Kan. ) chipped in with 13 points. James Conley (JR/Derby, Kan. ) scored 11 and also dished out seven assists for the Falcons.
Jordan Murdock is leading the Falcons in points (28.3 ppg), rebounds (9.1 rpg) and assists (4.96 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 James Conley (15.5 ppg), Vernon Vaughn (11.6 ppg) and Atir Cherne (SR/Wichita, Kan.) (11.2 ppg). Vaughn is also tops in the KCAC in field-goal percentage (.602).
Friends is the highest scoring team in the KCAC, averaging nearly 91 points per game that is good for eighth in the NAIA. The Falcons are also first in the league and third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.794).
Scouting the Moundbuilders: The No. 8-ranked Southwestern College Moundbuilders have won four straight and 10 of their last 11 games overall to check in at 20-2 and 16-2 in the KCAC. The Falcons handed the Builders one of their two losses back in December, 82-76 in Winfield, Kan.
Cameron Hunt is first in the KCAC and second in the NAIA in scoring (30.6 ppg) and also leads the league and is third in the NAIA in assists (6.7 apg). Andrew Hamm is also averaging in double-figure scoring with 13.7 ppg and Brent Smith has a team-high 9.9 rebounds.
The Builders are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking third in the NAIA in threes per game (12.4) and fifth in three-point percentage (.411).
The Series: The Falcons are 6-7 vs. Southwestern in the past 13 meetings between the schools. The recent matchups have presented wild swings, as the Falcons' 82-76 win earlier this season snapped a string of seven straight losses to Southwestern. Prior to that, the Falcons had won the previous five meetings in the series.
Red Out: All fans are encouraged to wear Red to support the Falcons vs. Southwestern and create a boisterous atmosphere. There will be free red popcorn balls and 20 % off all Red Nike apparel, with the first 50 students to the men's game also receiving a free Red Powerade. In keeping with the theme, Red Lobster will sponsor the Halftime contests for the women's game. Hoops Hysteria will also be at halftime of the men's game, where one lucky student will have the chance to participate in competitions for free tuition.
Star Power: The matchup between the Falcons and Moundbuilders will feature two of the best players in the NAIA and the top two scorers and passers in the KCAC. Cameron Hunt (30.6 ppg), 6.7 apg) and Jordan Murdock (28.3 ppg), 4.96 apg) rank 1-2 in the league in both scoring and assists, with Hunt ranking second in the NAIA in scoring, followed closely by Murdock in third.
Light up the Scoreboard: If you like scoring, the showdown between Friends and Southwestern is for you. The Falcons and Moundbuilders are the top two scoring offenses in the KCAC, with the Falcons' 90.87 ppg edging out the Builders' 90.82 ppg for top billing in the league. The two teams also take advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe, as the Falcons lead the conference in free-throw shooting (.794) and the Builders are right behind in second (.785).
Setting the Tone Early: The Falcons have done a great job of jumping ahead and taking control in the first half, taking a lead into the break in 19 of their 23 outings thus far. Friends has made it stand too, going 17-2 in those games.
Under 80 is Key: The Falcons have won all 11 outings when holding the opposition below the 80 point mark, compared to a 7-5 mark when allowing 80 or more points.
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 84 career games at Friends, with a career scoring average of 26.9 ppg.
Falcons by the Numbers:
When scoring:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points:
60-69 points:
70-79 points: 1-0
80-89 points: 7-2
90+ points: 10-3
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points:
60-69 points: 5-0
70-79 points: 6-0
80-89 points: 6-1
90+ points: 1-4
When leading at halftime: 17-2
When trailing at halftime: 1-3
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When winning the turnover battle: 15-4
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 270-216, with a 181-110 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.
Matt O'Brien is in his 10th season as head coach of the Southwestern College Moundbuilders and is now the winningest coach in school history. O'Brien has guided Southwestern to a winning record in all eight seasons thus far in his tenure, including a conference regular season championship that earned him KCAC Coach of the Year honors last season. The Builders have also made three straight appearances in the KCAC tournament championship game.
Before arriving at Southwestern, O'Brien was the head coach at Central Christian College and an assistant coach at Friends University for seven seasons. Three of O'Brien's seasons at Friends came under current Falcon head coach Dale Faber.
Up Next: The Falcons will play at McPherson College next Wednesday night (Jan. 30) at 8 pm in McPherson, Kan.