Senior forward Ty Thomas scored 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Concordia University (8-2) past Minnesota Duluth (7-4) 77-74 on Friday evening at Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn. Thomas also had four assists and three blocks and shot 11-21 from the field, 4-7 from three-point territory and 5-7 at the line in 37 minutes of court time.

The Golden Bears, who trailed 74-72 with 2:40 to play, held the Bulldogs to just two points the rest of the way. Senior point guard RJ Allen canned a jumper at the 2:27 mark to tie the score up at 74. After nearly a minute and a half of scoreless play, junior guard Kyle Marxhausen came away with a steal and a dunk to put the Bears ahead, 76-74, with just over a minute to play. A free throw by junior point guard Joey Peel put CU up by three with :22 on the clock, and UMD missed a pair of game-tying three-pointers as CU iced a hard fought victory.

There were 15 ties and 15 lead changes in the battle between former conference rivals, with Concordia holding the lead for most of the first half. Their largest lead in the opening 20 minutes was six points at 8-2 early on before going into the break. UMD never led by more than five points in the half, or the game, as their largest lead was 40-35 at the 3:46 mark in the first half. CU responded to the deficit by closing the half out on a 14-3 run capped off by a Thomas jumper with :03.

The second saw the Bears continue their run as they pushed the lead up to eight points, 51-43. The run was a 16-3 advantage for CU, but the Bulldogs responded with a 12-2 run of their own to reclaim a 55-53 edge with 14:57 to play as the teams jostled for any sort of momentum advantage for the remainder of the contest. Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the way, which proved to be the final lead for CU in the win.

Senior forward Kenneth Pointer was the only other player for CU to reach double-figures, as he poured in 21 points, shooting 6-11 from the field, 2-4 from three and 7-8 at the foul line. Pointer added four assists in 34 minutes of action.

Junior forward Marlon Walker provided an offensive burst off the bench, as he contributed nine points on perfect 4-4 shooting and grabbed three boards in 18 minutes of work. Marxhausen's seven points on 3-11 shooting in 35 minutes of floor time rounded out most of the scoring for CU, as the four players accounted for 68 of their 77 points in the contest.

UMD was led by Jordan Nunness, who scored 17 points in 28 minutes off the bench. John Emerson contributed 15 points and six assists, and Bryan Foss led the rebounding effort with nine boards and seven points.

The win for Concordia continues their successful non-conference campaign, pushing their record to 8-2 and adding another win against a regional rival. The Bears are back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 20 when they return to the Gangelhoff Center to take on another NCC rival when St. Cloud State comes to town.