MARSHALL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (1-0) opened its season at the NSIC/MIAA Challenge on Friday evening with a 95-93 overtime win over Nebraska Kearney (0-1) on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University.

Overtime contained five lead changes, but it was five straight free throws from senior guard Antwan Kimmons within the final 1:45 of play that put the Bears up for good at 94-91 on the way to the 95-93 win.

Kimmons shined in his return to action after suffering an injury last season, logging a game-high 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field. The senior was also active in other parts of the game, adding five assists and four rebounds.

The Golden Bears never trailed in the first half, leading by as many as 11 points and holding a 44-38 advantage at the half. UNK flipped the script in the second half, opening on an 8-0 run to take its first lead at 46-44 with 17:34 remaining in regulation. The remainder of the half contained nine lead changes and culminated in an 82-82 tie that sent to game to overtime following a trio of clutch free throws from senior swingman Marcus Skeete with 20 seconds on the clock.

Skeete also got his season off to a stellar start, scoring 21 points on efficient shooting as he hit six of his nine attempts from the field and was 4-5 from beyond the arc. He also led the team in rebounding with 15 boards to finish with a double-double.

Sophomore guard Ben Kopetzki put together a strong outing for Concordia, scoring 19 points on 7-15 shooting and adding five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. Cade Meyer was the final Golden Bear in double figures with 12 points on 6-7 shooting, also pulling down six rebounds.  

The Lopers were paced by Chase Thompson with 23 points on 8-18 shooting and 5-8 from deep. Ja'Bryant Hill and Allen Taylor added 22 and 18 points, respectively, for UNK.

For the game, Concordia connected on 35 of its 65 attempts (53.8%) from the floor while Nebraska Kearney was 35-84 (41.7%). The Golden Bears outscored the Lopers 17-8 on second chance opportunities, and held a 48-32 advantage in the painted area.

The Golden Bears will wrap up the NSIC/MIAA Challenge on Saturday afternoon when they take on #16 Fort Hays State at 4 p.m. in Marshall, Minn.