ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (3-5, 1-3 NSIC) is set for a home-and-home series with Minnesota State (3-7, 1-3 NSIC) this week as they host the Mavericks on Wednesday night before traveling to Mankato for a Saturday afternoon contest.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Golden Bears dropped a pair of hard-fought road contests at Upper Iowa and Winona State.

CSP was impressive offensively over the two contests as they averaged 84.0 points while shooting a solid 50.4% (62-123) from the field and 46.7% (21-45) from beyond the  arc. Concordia also held an edge on the glass as they collected 69 rebounds compared to 63 for their opponents, including a 14-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Turnovers proved to be the difference as the Golden Bears forced 17 turnovers while committing 32.

Jordan Coblin paced the squad as one of five players in double figures, putting up 21.0 points while shooting 48.0% (12-25) from the floor on the weekend. He added 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals over the two contests. Coblin scored a season-best 31 points, including 21 in the second half, against UIU on Friday. Noah Kannegiesser added 15.0 points while Carlos Barela had 14.0, Jacob Shields had 10.5 and Cody Carlson had 10.0 over the two games.

MSU SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's meeting marks the 33rd time the two schools have met on the court. In the previous 32 meetings, CSP has gone 6-26 against MSU. The series has been tipped in favor of the Mavericks over the past few years as MSU has won 14 of the last 15 meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season. On their home court, the Golden Bears have compiled a 4-11 record against the Mavericks and a 2-14 record in Mankato. Their last win in the series came back on Dec. 20, 2014 in a thrilling 75-73 victory in St. Paul.

LAST MEETING VS MSU
Back on Dec. 30, 2018, the Golden Bears fell to Minnesota State in the team's final contest before the New Year by a score of 92-60 at Gangelhoff Center.

Minnesota State held CSP to just 39.7% (23-58) from the floor and 16.7% (3-18) from three while also forcing 19 turnovers and committing just six in the win. The Mavericks finished the game at 45.2% (33-73) on the offensive end while also knocking down 43.8% (14-32) from deep in the game.
 
Bryndan Matthews paced the Golden Bears on the night with his fifth double-double on the season with 17 points and 10 boards as he connected on 7-10 from the floor. Lee Higgins also reached double figures with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds while Isaiah McKay and Cody Carlson each added eight points.

Four Mavericks finished in double figures, led by 16 from Cameron Kirksey. Carlos Anderson chipped in 15 while Frankie Mack had 13 and Quincy Anderson had 10.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
It's been a bit of a tough start to the season for Minnesota State as the Mavericks head into the week with a record of 3-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play. MSU appeared to be turning things around with three wins in five games following two losses to start the year, but they have dropped the last three in a row in league play.

Last weekend, the Mavericks fell 78-62 at Winona State on Friday before dropping Saturday's game in overtime at Upper Iowa by a score of 92-88. In Saturday's loss, MSU had three different players score at least 22 points, led by 31 from Cameron Kirksey.

Kirksey, the NSIC South Preseason Player of the Year, has been the team's top producer this season as he leads the team with 18.8 points on 52.1% shooting to go along with 5.0 boards. Ryland Holt has added 14.5 points while Kevin Krieger follows close behind with 11.2. Kelby Kramer is the team's leader in rebounding with 8.9 boards per game.

NSIC LEADERS
Early in the season, Concordia has taken advantage of a solid defense and an advantage on the glass to find success. CSP has held their opponents to just 40.5% from the floor, good for fourth in the NSIC. Concordia has also limited second chance opportunities as their 29.3 defensive rebounds per game rank third in the NSIC and their 39.5 rebounds per game overall ranks fifth.
 
Individually, Jordan Coblin ranks in the top-10 of the league in five different categories. His 19.0 points per game rank fourth while his 5.3 assists per game rank third. He also sits in fifth in steals (1.6), eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7) and fourth in minutes (34.3) on the season.
 
Jacob Shields has provided the Golden Bears with a physical presence as his 1.3 blocks per game sit in eighth, his 2.8 boards per game sit in 13th and his 1.3 steals sit in 14th in the conference. Cody Carlson has added 6.6 boards, good for 13th and a 53.7% field goal percentage, good for 10th.