by WICHITA, Kan. — Tied at 40 heading into the fourth quarter, the Friends University Falcons outscored the (RV) Bethany College Swedes 15-5 to win their second consecutive game Wednesday night inside the Garvey Center.
“This was our best defensive effort of the season, especially in the 4th quarter, holding them to 5 points in the quarter,” head coach Dean Jaderston said.
A pair of baskets by Bridget Busbee (SO/Grand Prairie, Texas) followed by a three-pointer from Maddie Jessepe (Prairie Band Potawatomi/Chickasaw) gave the Falcons a 51-42 lead with 4:20 left in the game.
Jessepe knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line to cap a 9-0 run for the Falcons and seal the victory.
“It was a full team effort,” Jaderston said. “Our bench outscored their bench 31-3.”
Gracie Sammons (SO/Aubrey, Texas) knocked down a three early in the opening quarter to cap a 7-2 run that gave the Falcons a 9-5 lead. The Swedes closed the frame on a 5-2 run of their own.
In the second quarter, Meghan Goff sparked an 8-0 spurt for the Swedes to give them a 20-15 edge. The Falcons fought back behind threes from Khadijah Miller (SR/Arlington, Texas) and Jessepe to take a 27-26 lead into the break.
Bethany opened the third stanza on a 10-1 run that spawned a timeout from Jaderston. From there the Falcons took control, closing the third quarter on a 12-4 run.
Jessepe finished with a career-high 15 points to lead all scorers and grabbed five rebounds. Miller scored 12 points and six rebounds while Busbee added 10 points.
“We got a huge lift at both ends of the court from Maddie Jessepe and Khadijah Miller,” Jaderston said.
Friends shot 37.0 percent from the field including 5-of-13 from the perimeter.
