FAYETTE, Iowa – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (5-1) wrapped up non-conference play with a 73-58 win over Northwest Missouri State (1-5) on Sunday afternoon at the Peacock Classic.
For the game, CSP shot 40.3% from the field (25-62) and 30.8% from beyond the arc (12-39) while holding the Bearcats to just 34.4% from the field (21-61) and 20.0% from deep (3-15). Concordia also held advantages in rebounds (43-42), assists (13-7), points off turnovers (17-7), second chance points (13-9), and fast break points (5-0).
Antwan Kimmons led the CSP offense once again, tallying 16 points on 5-10 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Through six games, the senior leads the NSIC with an average of 27.3 points per game.
Senior
Marcus Skeete grabbed his third double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, also adding three steals and two assists. Skeete now ranks fourth in the NSIC with an average of 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
Sophomore guard
Ben Kopetzki logged his fifth game of the season in double figures on offense, finishing with 15 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc while adding three rebounds and three assists.
Ian Sluice had his best game of the season, scoring 15 points on 5-11 shooting with all of his attempts coming from three-point range.
Cade Meyer rounded out the starters with 11 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds.
The Golden Bears came out hot in the first half, opening the game on a 9-0 run in just 1:32 of game time. The Bearcats used a 21-10 scoring run of their own to take their first lead at 21-19 with 8:18 remaining in the half. There were three additional lead changes in the final eight minutes, but it was CSP holding a 35-32 lead at the half.
The Concordia lead continued to balloon throughout the second half, peaking as high as 20 points and eventually ending with a 15-point win at 73-58. The Golden Bears dominated the stats sheet in the second half, outscoring the Bearcats 38-26, outshooting them 41.4% to just 25.0%, and holding a 24-22 edge in rebounding and a 6-2 advantage in assists.
The Golden Bears will open NSIC play on Tuesday, hosting Winona State at 7:30 p.m. in the second half of a doubleheader with the women's teams.
