The Friends University men’s basketball team is now entering a new phase in their season.  Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference games have begun with the Friends Falcons playing the Bethany Swedes on Saturday, Dec. 3, and the Bethel Threshers on Thursday, Dec. 1.  The teams’ overall win-loss record is 6-4, and their conference record is a comfortable 2-0. 

Saturday’s game against the Swedes, which was the first home conference game of the year, helped demonstrate the tenacity of this year’s team.

The Swedes had an eight point run early in the game, which the Falcons failed to challenge.  But the team decided they would not be left behind in the dust.  So, they battled back and eventually surpassed the Swedes 38-31 by halftime.  But still the Falcons had their work cut out for them. 

“We were shooting pretty bad, so we had to play harder defense,” said Greg Carrell, a junior who plays shooting guard for the team.

When play resumed after the half, the Swedes weren’t about to call it a game.  They fought back, stubbornly refusing to accept defeat.  Coach Dale Faber thought that the Bethany offense presented some unique challenges.

“They’ve got an interesting team,” Faber said. “They like to punish you with their big people.  They have a couple of guys that can really shoot the ball as well.”

Up until the last few minutes of the game, determining which team which would walk away with the victory was too close to call.  The Swedes were within six points with less than a minute to go.  But the time ran out, and the Falcons walked away from the game with a narrow but definite victory, 82-75. 

Ryan Waterson, a sophomore guard who is currently out with an injury, thinks that the important thing about the game against Bethany was that the team didn’t give up.

“We played good the whole game, and we didn’t let it slip away when we became close,” said Waterson. 

So what factor of the Falcons’ game enabled them to defeat their opponents?  Defense seemed to play the biggest part in granting them the prize, as their offensive threats proved to be rather scarce. 

When asked what he thought won the game, Carrell said, “the ability to disrupt their offense” was the detrimental factor.

Coach Faber concurred. “Our interior defense was good,” Faber said. “After we settled in, we stayed on task to the game plan.”

Matt Garvey, who is known by his teammates for bringing tenacity and excitement to the floor, tallied up a notable five steals.  Although offense may not have been the deciding factor in the game, without it, Friends couldn’t have survived.  Josh Urban and Justin Speer each accumulated a total of 16 points for the night; Carrell and Bryan Ross both scored in the double digits. 

Earlier in the week when the Falcons played their first conference game against the Bethel College Threshers of Newton, they scraped by with a win in overtime.  The final score was 73-70.  

Thursday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m., the men will face Sterling College in what could be termed a “rivalry” game.  Last year, the Falcons defeated Sterling in the conference tournament, which led to Friends receiving the coveted ticket to the National Association for Intercolliagate Athletics National Tournament. 

“It will be a battle. A war,” said Carrell. 

Coach Faber was thinking along the same lines as he pondered the upcoming game.

“Sterling is going to be a very, very tough game to play because Sterling is a very good defensive team,” Faber said. “Every basket is going to be a struggle.”

The team believes that although they are playing well, the potential for growth is always there.  In addition, the team appears to be coming together to play as a unit rather than as individuals.

Carrell has some timely advice for the team to heed.