The Braves are 8-5 overall and 4-3 in the KCAC. Ottawa is 5-0 on the road this season and enters Saturday's game coming off a 92-69 victory over non-conference opponent Culver-Stockton College on Dec. 17.
This season Ottawa is averaging 80.3 points, 36.0 rebounds, and 11.8 assists per game. OU is shooting 46.6 percent from the floor, 39.2 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 73.5 percent from the free throw line.
Rich Martelly leads the Braves in scoring (14.4),
Jackson Harding is OU's leader in rebounding (6.5),
Landyn Tyler is the team's leader in assists (2.6),
Kuol Reech leads Ottawa in blocks (0.7), and Martelly is the team's leader in steals (1.7) per game.
Ottawa is ranked 15th in the NAIA in 3-pt field goal percentage (.392), 37th in free throws made per game (16.6), 42nd in free throw percentage (.735), and 41st in personal fouls per game (15.5).
The Braves are 5-0 on the road this season and 3-0 on the road in KCAC play. Ottawa is averaging 84.6 points per game and shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, 40.2 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 70.8 percent from the free throw line. Opponents are scoring 75 points per game and shooting 41.2 percent from the floor, 22.6 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 73 percent from the free throw line.
Ottawa has five players scoring in double figures on the road this season:
Micah Willis (15.4),
Rich Martelly (15.2),
Landyn Tyler (13.2),
Jackson Harding (11.0), and
Elijah Mason (10.4).
Saturday is the 150th game between Ottawa University and Friends University. Ottawa leads the series 88-61 and is 4-1 in its last five games against the Falcons. The two teams spit the series last season. Friends won in Wilson Field House on Jan. 4, 2025, 110-89. Ottawa won the game at the Garvey Center in overtime, 86-79, on Feb. 8, 2025. The Braves won four straight in Wichita against the Falcons. Ottawa's last road loss to Friends was on Dec. 2, 2020, 81-73.
Friends University head men's basketball coach, Phil McClintock played a basketball at Ottawa and spent seven seasons as the associate head coach with the OU men's basketball program. He is a member of the Braves Athletic Hall of Fame and a two-time NAIA All-American.
The Falcons are 11-2 overall, are 6-1 in the KCAC, and have a ranking of 14 in the NAIA. Friends is on a seven game winning streak and are 5-2 at the Garvey Center this season. The last loss for the Falcons was on Nov. 19 in Wichita against Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Friends enters Saturday's game coming off an 80-72 victory over Hastings College on Dec. 31.
Friends is averaging 84.7 points, 36 rebounds, and 20.1 assists per game. The Falcons are shooting 48.2 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from behind the 3-pt line, and 71.2 percent from the free throw line.
Cahlese Lee leads the team in scoring (16), Ringo Deng is the Falcons' leader in rebounding (6.2), Randy Woolf, Jr. is Friends' leader in assists (4.2), Al Emerrlahu is the team's leader in blocks (0.5), and Eli Benning is Friends' leader in steals (3.0) per game.
Friends is ranked 44th in the NAIA in points per game (84.7), 47th in field goals made per game (30.7), 47th in field goal percentage (.482), 12th in 3-pt field goals made per game (10.5), 25th in 3-pt field goals attempted per game (27.3), 22nd in 3-pt field goal percentage (.386), sixth in assists per game (20.1), 16th in turnovers per game (10.2), 49th in opponent turnovers per game (14.8), 21st in steals per game (9.8), 30th in opponent steals per game (5.9), 36th in personal fouls per game (15.3), 12th in offensive efficiency (1.185), and 31st in net efficiency (0.170).
