[Men's Basketball] Balanced scoring attack keys Men's Basketball Falcons win over York
WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons shot 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field and 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point distance in an 81-70 victory over the York College Panthers tonight (Jan. 24) in KCAC action inside the Garvey Center.
It was a tightly contested matchup early that featured eight lead changes by the 6:20 mark before Ian Konek (JR/Long Beach, Calif.) got hot from the perimeter and nailed a three that snapped a 25-25 gridlock and put the Falcons on top with 4:59 left in the opening half.
A short time later, Konek drilled back-to-back threes that stretched the lead to 10 and that's the margin the Falcons took into the break ahead 44-34.
The Falcons' offensive surge continued into the second half as treys from Trey Reid (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) and Eastyn Ruffin (FR/Wichita, Kan. ) ballooned the lead up to 16 at 54-38 less than three minutes after halftime.
After the Panthers clawed within two on a pair of occasions, another three by Konek and an alley-oop from Reid to Matt Reeves (FR/Mansfield, Texas) thwarted the rally and pushed the lead back to 13 with just 2:36 remaining.
"This was a staple win for our guys tonight," said Friends men's basketball head coach Austin McBeth. "Being down three of our top guys, we had to have people step up and they did in a big way."
Konek led five Falcons in double-figure scoring with 20 points, while Kern tallied his first career triple-double with career-highs of 10 points and 12 rebounds along with three blocks. Ruffin also set his career-high total with 14 points, with Alex Gray (FR) notching his third double-digit rebounding effort in just five career outings with a career-best 15 boards. Reeves and Reid each finished with 13 points, with Reid leading the Falcons (7-15, 6-10 KCAC) with five assists.
"There were so many solid performances across the board, but I have to give special mention to Eastyn (Ruffin)," said McBeth. "He provided such a great spark off the bench and hit some huge shots for us. He's an amazing young man that exemplifies the attitude and effort I want this program to have, and I don't know if we win that game without his contribution."
Luka Gelb had a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards to lead York (8-15, 5-12 KCAC). Brent Clark and Keyaun Hoskin each chipped in with 10 points.
The Falcons outrebounded the Panthers 47-36 overall and held a 38-26 edge in points in the paint.
The stingy Falcon defense also limited the Panthers to just 38.4 percent (28-of-73) overall from the field and a 17.6 percent (6-of-34) clip from beyond the arc.
The Falcons will next be at McPherson College Wednesday night (Jan. 27) at 8 pm in McPherson, Kan. In the first matchup this season, the Falcons routed the Bulldogs 97-61 (Dec. 2) inside the Garvey Center.