ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia Golden Bears men's basketball team (1-6) dropped a high scoring contest on Saturday afternoon to St. Cloud State (4-5) by a score of 93-85 at Gangelhoff Center.
With the pace of play turned up to high levels for both squads throughout the game, Concordia led by as many as nine in the first half before the Huskies took the lead for good in the closing seconds of the first half. Saturday's game marked the third straight in the series in which the two teams combined for over 175 points as CSP dropped to 7-22 overall and 5-9 at home against SCSU all-time.
The efficiency matched the pace for both teams for the Golden Bears as they scored a season-high 85 points while registering their best shooting percentage from the floor since the season opener at 48.6% (34-70). CSP also knocked down 37.5% (12-32) from deep while dishing out 20 assists on their 34 made field goals. Concordia added a plus differential in the turnover column as they forced 12 turnovers and committed 10.
The Huskies proved to be slightly more efficient as they hit 53.0% (35-66) of their shots and 79.2% (19-24) from the free throw line as they held a 24-6 edge in free throw attempts. SCSU also took advantage down low as they held a 44-27 advantage in rebounds and a 60-34 advantage in points in the paint.
Carlos Barela played a big role in the team's success on the offensive end as he led the team with career-best 28 points on 12-18 shooting, including an incredibly efficient 18 points on 7-9 from the floor and 4-4 from deep before the break. The senior guard added four rebounds, four assists and three steals in his 35 minutes of action.
The CSP freshmen duo of
Marcus Skeete and
Jax Madson chipped in full stat lines of their own as Skeete put up 14 points, five boards, four assists and three steals and Madson matched him with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
George Scharlau added an efficient dozen points on 4-5 shooting as well as three blocks in 24 minutes.
Sophomore Anthony Roberts was a key force for the Huskies with a game-best 34 points on 13-21 shooting in the win. He was one of three St. Cloud State players to collect a double-double as he pulled down 10 boards. Josh Tomasi added 15 points and 10 rebounds while Ryan Bagley just missed a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the win.
It was back and forth early on with six lead changes over the first five minutes before SCSU took a two-possession lead with a 6-0 run to make it 13-9. Two buckets later, Concordia embarked on a massive 19-6 run over a five minute span to turn a 15-11 deficit into a 30-21 lead with 7:19 to go in the opening half. Barela knocked down three three-pointers during that stretch as the team hit six of nine shots and five of seven threes. The momentum quickly shifted the other way as St. Cloud State responded with a 9-2 run to pull within three before tying it up at 35-35. There were three more lead changes in the final few minutes of the half as CSP held their last lead at 41-40 following a
Keenan Jones jumper before a Tomasi free throw and a Roberts layup gave SCSU a 43-41 heading to the locker room.
Concordia remained with three at the 15:31 mark of the second half with a score of 52-49, but an 8-2 run for the Huskies gave them a bit of a cushion at 60-51. That lead grew to 14 at 72-58 with 10:21 left, but a resilient Golden Bears squad chipped away with an 11-2 burst to make it a two possession game at 74-69. A Barela layup at 2:51 had CSP within six at 82-76 before a two minute scoring drought gave SCSU some breathing room as they extended it to 88-76 before settling with a 93-85 win.
The two teams will return to Gangelhoff Center tomorrow afternoon for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
