ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (5-3, 0-2 NSIC) nearly erased double-digit deficits in both halves, but they were unable to complete the comeback as they fell to Augustana (5-2, 1-1 NSIC) 92-87 on Saturday afternoon at Gangelhoff Center.
 
Trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half and as many as 15 after the break, the Golden Bears showed their grit as they trimmed the deficit to one possession on both occasions, but they couldn't quite get over the hump as the Vikings held on for their 22^nd consecutive victory in the all-time series. The loss drops CSP to 6-30 against Augie and 5-13 on their home court.
 
Concordia found success in transition as they tallied a significant 23-9 edge in fast break points while they also won the battle on the glass with a 40-27 rebounding advantage, including an 8-5 edge in offensive boards. With both teams shooting a nearly identical percentage from the floor (Augie at 50.0% and CSP at 49.1%), the difference proved to be turnovers. Augustana was highly efficient on Golden Bear miscues as they turned 15 CSP turnovers into 29 points while Concordia managed just six points on seven Viking turnovers.
 
Concordia's starting unit did the heavy lifting offensively with all five starters scoring in double figures and the quintet combining for 72 of the team's 87 points.
 
Marcus Skeete led the way with 18 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting and 6-6 from the free throw line while he added eight rebounds and three assists.
 
Jordan Horn and Japannah Kellogg followed close behind as they each finished with 16 points. Horn picked up his second double-double in the past three games with a game-high 11 rebounds while Kellogg was nearly perfect from the floor, hitting 6-7 to go along with six boards.
 
Ian Sluice chipped in 12 points on 3-5 from beyond the arc and 3-3 from the free throw line while Sean Mathieu contributed 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in the loss.
 
Isaac Fink was a one-man wrecking crew for the Vikings as he paced all players with 42 points on 13-21 from the floor, 4-5 from three-point range and 12-16 from the free throw line. He was especially effective after the break as 28 of his 42 came in the game's final 20 minutes.
 
After an early Ian Sluice three, the Vikings took control with 10 straight points to spark an extended 20-4 run to build a 13-point advantage less than seven minutes into the contest. Augustana's lead hovered in that area until a big Golden Bear burst late in the half turned the tide. Trailing 33-20 with 6:52 left in the half, CSP rattled off a 9-2 run to make it a two-possession game at 35-29. Augie temporarily pushed it back to eight a few possessions later before Concordia closed the half on another 7-0 run to trim it to 39-37 at the break.
 
The two teams traded points to start the second half as the margin sat at three at 47-44 after two minutes of play, but the Vikings once again stretched their lead with a time run. This time it was a 14-2 run that padded their advantage, pushing their lead to a game-high 15 at 61-46. The gap remained at 15 at 65-50 with 12:30 to play before a crucial 12-2 run in favor of Concordia had the home team back within five just past the midway point of the half.  Fink and the Vikings held their cool against the surging Golden Bears as they kept it at least a two-possession game until a Horn three and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds had CSP within a bucket at 90-87 with 14 seconds to go. Jadan Graves sealed the victory with two free throws as Augustana escaped with a 92-87 win.
 
The Golden Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon as they host Wayne State at 2 p.m. at Gangelhoff Center.