BISMARCK, N.D. – The Concordia Golden Bears men's basketball team (6-7, 1-6 NSIC) grabbed their first conference win of the season as they held off University of Mary (6-7, 3-4 NSIC) to claim a 66-61 win on Friday night.
 
The Golden Bears took a double-digit lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Marauders came storming back to take the lead several times in the final few minutes. Concordia managed to slow down UMary when it mattered most as Isaiah McKay hit a big three with just under two minutes to go to give CSP the lead for good. Concordia improved to 14-8 all-time against the Marauders as they picked up their eighth win in 10 trips to Bismarck.
 
It was fitting that McKay's three proved to be the decider as the senior guard paced all players with 23 points on the night while knocking down 8-12 from the floor, 4-7 from three and grabbing six rebounds. McKay was at his best in the second half as he scored 16 of his 27 points after the break.
 
Concordia's defense also played a major role in the victory as the team held UMary to just 38.2% (21-55) from the floor and 27.6% (8-29) from beyond the arc. The Marauders also did not help their own cause as they hit just 52.4% (11-21) from the free throw line. CSP, on the other end, knocked down 48.0% (24-50) of their shots and 80.0% (12-15) of their free throw while also winning the rebounding battle 35-30 and the points in the pain battle 22-16.
 
McKay wasn't the only Golden Bear to put up a big night as Cody Carlson shattered his career high with 19 points in the win. The sophomore connected on 7-12 shooting and 2-4 from three while also pulling down three boards in his 22 minutes of work. Bryndan Matthews also reached double figures with 12 points on 5-7 shooting while also chipping in a team-best seven rebounds and four assists in a full 40 minutes.
 
Tom Kubank led a trio of Marauders in double figures in scoring with 16 points while Jaylan White added 12 and Dennis Austin III added 11 in the loss.
 
The Golden Bears set the tone for the first half right from the tip as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a couple of early buckets. The Marauders temporarily gained the lead at 7-6 following a 7-1 run over the next three minutes, but Concordia quickly regained the lead with an 8-0 run the other way. The lead hit nine for CSP at 18-9 before UMary trimmed it to three by scoring eight of the next points. From there, Concordia held the Marauders to just four points over the final 6:56 as they built an advantage as large as 12 at 31-19 following an 11-2 run before taking a 10 point lead into the break at 31-21.
 
The Marauders turned the tide early in the second half as they opened the half on an 8-2 run to cut it to 33-29. A three-point play for Matthews had the lead back to three possessions before six straight points in favor of UMary cut the deficit all the way down to one at 36-35 with 15:48 to go. The Golden Bears slowed the momentum and held a slim lead over the next eight minutes until back-to-back threes for the Marauders gave them their first lead since the opening minutes at 50-49. That proved to be the first of 10 lead changes over the final seven minutes as the two teams battled it out to the end.
 
After Kreklow gave UMary a one point lead at 60-59 with 2:12 left on the clock, McKay delivered the decisive blow with a deep three at the 1:49 mark to give CSP the lead for good. A Jaylan White free throw cut it back to one at 62-61 heading to the final minute of play and the Marauders had several chances to tie or take the lead, but a pair of free throws from Elliot Kane and Max Keefe sealed the 66-61 win.
 
CSP remains on the road tomorrow night with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off at Minot State. The Golden Bears then return home for four straight over the next two weekends.