ST. PAUL, Minn. - Winona State (6-2, 2-0 NSIC) scored with 2.9 seconds left and defended Concordia-St. Paul (3-3, 0-2 NSIC) guard Terez VanPelt at the buzzer, forcing him to miss a contested three-pointer as time expired as the Warriors pulled out a 71-69 win at Gangelhoff Center on Friday night.

The final minute alone consisted of two ties and two lead changes, with VanPelt tying the game at 69 with 19 seconds to play with a layup in traffic. On the other end, Taylor Cameron finished in the lane in traffic with 2.9 seconds remaining as Winona State reclaimed the lead.

Concordia's inbounds pass sailed past half court to sophomore Mike Yahnke, who called timeout with 2.5 seconds to give the Golden Bears a signifcantly higher percentage chance at a game-winner.

The inbounds went to VanPelt who dribbled just to the left of the top of the key and extended over his taller defender. His shot fell short, with Yahnke grabbing the rebound looking to tip it in before the buzzer, but the clock hit zero with the ball in his hands at the rim.

VanPelt led Concordia with 22 points, shooting 8-14 from the floor and 5-6 from the line. He added four rebounds (three offensive) and three assists. Senior Cordell Smith added 15 points and five rebounds, hitting 9-10 at the stripe including five free throws in the last 1:53 of play.

Concordia entered the game with the lowest field goal percentage in the league as the only team to shoot under 40% from the floor. Tonight they continued that trend by shooting 37.7% (20-53).

But the Golden Bears continued to cover up the cold shooting by cleaning up on the glass, leading the league with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game. Tonight they collected 17 more compared to 10 for Winona State, which led to a 14-6 advantage in second chance points. Yahnke had a team-high four offensive rebounds, leading the team with eight total boards off the bench.

The Golden Bears also continued its trend of outscoring the opposition at the foul line, with a 21-13 advantage tonight.

The game started slow for Concordia, going scoreless on its first six possessions with three missed shots and three turnovers. The three turnovers was unusual for a team that averages just 10 per game and had only five last Saturday against #11 Minnesota State.

But the slow offensive started allowed the Warriors to jump out to a 10-0 start before Concordia's instant-offense, Travon Mitchell, came in to get things going off the bench.

Mitchell quickly drained back-to-back three-pointers to get Concordia back in the game.

Facing a 17-8 deficit with 12:24 to play in the half, VanPelt got his offensive game going as he converted a layup, got a steal on the defensive side which set up a fastbreak layup which started a big run for the Golden Bears.

A three-pointer by Mitchell with 3:33 to play in the half completed a Golden Bear run that gave them a nine point lead, 31-22. During the nearly nine minute stretch of play, Concordia outscored Winona State 23-5.

Concordia would go into the break leading by five, 34-29, seeking its first ever home win over Winona State.

Mitchell would finish the game with 16 points, hitting four three-pointers off the bench while adding three steals in 27 minutes of work.

While the first half featured only one tie and one lead change, the second half tightened up as the game had seven ties and seven lead changes after the break.

With Winona State hitting a three-pointer to end the first half, and starting the second half with seven straight points, the Warriors had a pair of costly 10-0 runs to start the game and to start the second half that proved to be crucial in the two-point decision.

Winona State was led by Mark Blacklock's 23 points and nine rebounds as he converted three three-pointers while Cameron had 17 points and eight assists with five of his points coming in the final minute.

The Golden Bears look to rebound tomorrow, hosting Upper Iowa at 6 p.m.