Concordia-St. Paul's (18-11) season ended Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the NSIC Red Baron Basketball Classic in Winona, Minn. The fifth-seeded Golden Bears were defeated by the host, no. 1 Winona State, (23-9) 76-70 in an intense, closely contested matchup.

The lead changed hands 13 times, and there were 14 ties as the Bears and Warriors jostled for the lead for 40 minutes. The largest lead in the game was seven points when Winona State went on a 12-2 run late in the first half to take a 40-33 lead.

But senior Brian Jamros drilled a three to end the Warrior run, and the Bears went into the locker room trailing by four, 40-36.

After the break, CSP stayed hot, going on an 11-2 run to reclaim the lead 44-42 with 16:31 to play.

But Concordia could not execute late in the game. Tied at 68 with 2:48 remaining, the Bears were only able to score two points, and the Warriors hit their free throws (13-17, 2nd half) to close out the game.

Junior Kenneth Pointer led Concordia with 21 points on 9-16 shooting in 29 minutes of action, while sophomore Kyle Marxhausen recorded his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and collecting 12 rebounds (5 off, 7 def) in 37 minutes. Senior Justin Vandenberg added 17 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes to close out his Concordia career.

The Warriors used a stifling defense to shut down leading scorer Brian Jamros, who only managed eight shots. Jamros ended up 3-8 from the field and 2-7 from long range for 10 points - his second-lowest total of the season. But Jamros found other ways to contribute, dishing out a team-high and his season-high five assists.

winona state, the regular season league champions, advance to the NSIC championship game tomorrow where they will take on the third-seed, Northern State, at 2 p.m.

The Golden Bears close out their season with an 18-11 overall record and a 7-7 record in league play. Their overall win total is tied for the second-highest in school history and is the most since moving to Division II in 1999. Their seven NSIC wins is the school's highest total since joining the league in 1999.