ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (2-2) rode a 28-3 second half run to close out non-conference play with a 75-61 win over Northland (2-5) on Tuesday night at Gangelhoff Center.
 
Trailing 53-43 with 14:55 left to play, the Golden Bears buckled down to hold the Lumberjacks to just three points on 1-16 shooting with five turnovers over the next 10:29 to turn a 10 point deficit into a 15 point lead. While the defense was stifling, Noah Kannegiesser carried the load offensively during that stretch as he scored 14 of the team's 28 points during the run.
 
Kannegiesser led all scorers with a career-best 29 points in the game as he hit an efficient 10-17 from the floor, 4-8 from three-point range and 5-5 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win.
 
Jacob Shields and Cody Carlson helped CSP dominate on the glass as Concordia held a 50-30 advantage in rebounds with a 15-9 edge on the offensive glass. Both finished with double-doubles as Shields had 11 points, 12 boards and five blocks while Carlson added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Carlos Barela also reached double figures with 10 points with seven assists and five boards in the game.
 
In addition to their edge on the glass, the Golden Bears also held a massive 30-14 edge in points in the paint as well as a 20-6 edge in second chance points. CSP also finished the game at 46.8% (29-62) from the field while Northland hit 34.4% (22-64) on the night.
 
Benny Larry, Jr. led the way for Northland with 15 points while Carter Cook also reached double figures with 12 points in the loss.
 
The Golden Bears found themselves in an early hole as Northland jumped out to an early 8-3 lead in the opening minutes. CSP quickly evened it back up with five points the other way, but the Lumberjacks were right back in front with a 7-0 run to make it 15-8 with 13:10 left in the first half. That lead eventually grew to double figures at 23-13 three minutes later before Concordia once again chipped away to within a possession at 23-20 and again at 25-22.
 
The Lumberjacks were right back on the offensive down the stretch in the first half as a 15-2 run, capped by 12 straight over an efficient two and a half minute surge, made it 40-24 with just over three minutes left in the half. Concordia stemmed the tide a bit as they trimmed it to 13 at 45-32 heading into the break.
 
Northland pushed the lead back to 15 with a pair of free throws and remained ahead by double digits at the 53-43 mark to set up the eventual game-winning run for the Golden Bears. The lead would not shrink below double digits following the 28-3 outburst as Concordia cruised to a 75-61 win to grab their second straight victory.
 
Concordia will begin NSIC action at home on Dec. 6-7 as they play host to Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State at Gangelhoff Center.