ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (7-2, 2-1 NSIC) will return home for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contests this weekend, hosting Wayne State (7-2, 1-2 NSIC) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Augustana (3-6, 0-3 NSIC) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center.

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LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears played a pair of road games in NSIC play last weekend, beating Sioux Falls 97-69 on Friday and taking down #18 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.

In Friday's win over USF, Sioux Falls took its only lead with the first bucket of the night, and after Concordia scored the next two, it would hold the lead the rest of the evening.

It didn't take long for the offense to get running, either, as CSP turned an 8-6 lead with just over 16 minutes to play in the half into a 28-10 margin, using a 12-0 run as part of a larger 20-4 stretch of basketball.

The 12-0 burst featured 5-5 CSP shooting with Skeete scoring five points including back-to-back three-pointers in tandem with Antwan Kimmons, while Ben Kopetzki bookended the run with layups. The five scores on five possessions were accompanied by four missed Cougar buckets and a turnover and happened in the blink of an eye, using just over two minutes of clock to take a 20-6 lead with 14 minutes left in the half.

The Cougars would get the next four points before four different Golden Bears scored during another 8-0 stretch that used up just over a minute and a half of time for a 28-10 lead with 11:31 to play in the half.

With Concordia scoring quickly and efficiently to amass its lead, that would tell the story of the night, as Concordia had five players in double-figures by halftime, including three different 20-point margins before heading into the locker room ahead 52-35.

In the second half, Concordia would lead by as many as 32, putting the game away with defense as the Cougars shot just 33.3 percent (11-33) in the second half and finished the night 4-21 (30.8%) from the arc.

Concordia's offense would slow down, but just a little bit, finishing the contest shooting a strong 55.7 percent (39-70) from the field while burying 10 three-pointers at a 35.7 percent (10-28) clip.

Skeete led the way with 27 points on 11-16 shooting, 3-5 three-point shooting, and 13 rebounds, adding three steals and a pair of assists.

Kopetzki finished with 18 points, knocking down 8-of-14 from the floor and adding three assists and three steals.

Kimmons flirted with a triple-double, scoring 12 points on eight shots (5-8) while adding 2-4 three-point shooting. He dished out nine assists and collected eight rebounds.

On the interior, Cade Meyer put up 14 points on 6-9 shooting and navigated his way around foul trouble to contribute 20 minutes. Ian Sluice rounded out the starting five by hitting a pair of three-pointers.

The bench effort was led by Reid Patterson's seven points, hitting a three-pointer and knocking down all four of his free throw attempts.

On Saturday, Concordia grabbed its second win over a ranked opponent this season after it topped #16 Fort Hays State 82-68 in November and just its third victory over a top 25 opponent since 2017.

The NSIC-leading Golden Bear offense proved to be explosive once again, logging its second consecutive game with 90 or more points while shooting over 50% from the field with a 36-65 (55.4%) shooting performance from the field while knocking down 13 of their 30 attempts (43.3%) from beyond the arc. Concordia held an 8-3 advantage in fast break points and the CSP bench outscored that of SMSU 22-19 in the game.

The CSP offense spread the ball extremely well, finishing with 24 assists, tied for the ninth most in program history, on 36 made baskets while SMSU had just eight assists on 31 buckets.

The Golden Bears never trailed in the opening half, but the Mustangs kept the game close early on with CSP's advantage never growing to more than seven points through the game's first 17 minutes. That changed in the final three minutes of the half, with CSP going on an 8-2 run to take an 11-point lead at 53-42 with just 54 seconds on the clock. The Mustangs responded to finish the half strong, scoring four straight, including a tip-in at the buzzer, to cut the deficit back down to seven at halftime.

SMSU continued to battle early in the second half, managing to tie the game at 57 all with 15:51 to play. Concordia recaptured the momentum at that point, grabbing the lead once again and pushing it to double figures with an 81-71 advantage with 7:51 on the clock. The Mustangs would not go down easy as they fought back to make it a one-point game at 81-80 with less than five minutes to play, but Concordia slammed the door with an 11-5 run, including a pair of clutch three pointers from Antwan Kimmons and Ben Kopetzki, to close the game and secure the seven-point win.

Senior forward Cade Meyer logged his second highest scoring output of the season, pouring in 20 points on an extremely efficient 9-of-11 shooting performance while pulling down seven rebounds.

Kimmons finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added a team high eight rebounds and seven assists. Marcus Skeete also finished with 18 points, also contributing seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Kopetzki rounded out the starters in double figures with 11 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Reid Patterson provided a valuable spark off the bench, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Sean Mathieu added eight points and three assists for Concordia's second unit

WAYNE STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears hold a 20-31 record against the Wildcats in the all-time series, including a mark of 13-14 at the Gangelhoff Center. The two teams split the season series last year, with Concordia winning 84-76 at home in December and Wayne State winning 79-57 at Rice Auditorium in February.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE WILDCATS
When the two teams last met in February of this year, the Wildcats secured a 79-57 victory in their home arena.

With CSP leading 32-24 with 2:45 to go in the first half, WSC compiled a 39-11 run over the next 12:30 to build the decisive advantage as they made it a season split between the two teams. The win was the 14^th in the last 16 meetings for the Wildcats as the Golden Bears dropped to 20-31 in the all-time series.
 
Sophomore Reid Patterson provided a bright spot for Concordia as led all players with 22 points, falling just two points shy of his career best set earlier in the season at SMSU. He knocked down 7-15 from the floor and 6-12 from beyond the arc while pulling down three boards in 33 minutes of action.
 
Ben Kopetzki and Marcus Skeete gave the Golden Bears three players in double figures as Kopetzki put up 14 points and four assists while Skeete finished with 10 points and six boards.
 
The Golden Bears more than doubled up the Wildcats from three-point range as they hit 11-37 (29.7%) while holding WSC to 5-19 (26.3%), but it wasn't enough on the night.
 
Wayne State won the battle down low as they used a 46-25 advantage on the glass, including a 12-4 offensive rebounding edge, to finish with an 11-0 advantage in second chance points and a 40-12 advantage in points in the paint.
 
After Wayne State jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, Concordia responded with a 12-2 run to build a 17-11 advantage at the 12:35 mark. After the Wildcats evened it back up at 21-21, CSP knocked down four straight shots, including three from deep, to build their largest lead of the night at 32-24. The lead would not last, however, as WSC scored 12 of the final 15 of the half to regain the lead at 36-35 heading into the break.
 
The run continued into the second with a 4-0 run and an 11-0 run sandwiched around a pair of Golden Bear free throws to push it to a 27-5 run overall as WSC built their first double digit advantage at 51-37. The run eventually reached 39-11 as the hosts put it out of reach. Their lead grew to as many as 23 before a trip to the free throw line the final minute brought it to the final score of 79-57.

AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings have dominated the all-time series, winning 31 of the 37 matchups. The Golden Bears hold a 5-13 record against Augustana in games played at the Gangelhoff Center. Augustana claimed both meetings last year, winning 92-87 in St. Paul in December and claiming another victory with an identical score in Sioux Falls in February.

LAST MEETING WITH THE VIKINGS
When the two teams last faced off in February of this year, the Vikings earned a 92-87 win in Sioux Falls.

CSP led by as many as eight in the second as they looked to claim just their second win in 18 trips to Augustana, but the Vikings turned the tide to drop the Golden Bears dropped to 6-31 in the all-time series.
 
The Golden Bears continued to light it up from beyond the arc as they hit 13 threes on the night, marking the fifth consecutive game in double digits from deep. Their 13 made three matched their fourth highest total on the year.
 
Concordia's starting five all reached double figures in scoring as the quintet combined for 79 of the 87 points in the loss. Reid Patterson cleared 20+ points for the second night in a row and third time this season as he led the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds, registering his first career double-double. He hit 7-15 from the floor, 4-11 from three-point range and 4-4 from the line.
 
Ian Sluice set a new career high in scoring as he added 18 points on 7-14 shooting and 4-10 from beyond the arc while adding four boards and four assists in the game. Ben Kopetzki followed with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, knocking down 6-10 from the floor.
 
Marcus Skeete chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and four assists while Sean Mathieu compiled 10 points, five boards and three assists.
 
CSP found themselves in an early hole as the Vikings scored the first 10 points of the contest, but they quickly turned things around with back-to-back-to-back threes to trim the deficit to one. Concordia's first five field goals came from beyond the arc before a Kopetzki free throw and layup broke the streak while giving the Golden Bears their first lead of the night at 18-16. The Vikings regained the lead at 24-23, but Concordia was right back in front as they went on an 8-1 run to build their largest lead of the half at 31-25 with 7:55 to go. With the lead still at five at 37-32 with 4:12 on the clock, Augustana regained the lead with eight points in a row. The lead changed hands several more times before the break, seven times in total in the half, as a late Sluice three gave Concordia a 44-43 lead after 20 minutes of play.
 
After the jostling for the lead continued in the opening minutes of the second half, Patterson scored seven straight points to spark a 9-0 run as the Golden Bears took their largest lead of the night at 61-53 with 13:48 left to play. The Vikings slowly chipped away from there, however, as they were back within one at 67-66 midway through the half before a 7-0 burst put Augie in front 73-70 at the 7:31 mark. A Sluice three tied it back up, but the Golden Bears would not lead the rest of the contest. The Viking lead hovered between one and two possessions as they led by as many as six with 2:22 to play at 90-84 before CSP gave themselves several chances to erase that deficit. Skeete knocked down a three at the 2:01 mark to make it a three-point game and Concordia had a pair of attempts to tie it up, but they couldn't get one to fall as Augustana held on for the 92-87 win.
 
STAT LEADERS
Nine games into the season, the Golden Bears continue to top charts in several statistical categories.
 
As a team, CSP's scoring average of 88.7 points per game leads the conference and ranks 24^th in all of Division II. Concordia also leads the NSIC with an average of 40.33 rebounds per game.

Concordia's Antwan Kimmons leads the conference and ranks third in all of Division II with 24.8 points per game this season, also leading the league in total points (223) and made field goals (80) . The senior also ranks paces the NSIC and sits 15^th in Division II with 5.8 assists per game.

Marcus Skeete has been active both on offense and on the glass, ranking third in the NSIC with 9.0 rebounds per game and sixth in the conference with 16.1 points per game. His four double-doubles are second most in the league and 13^th most in Division II.

Senior forward Cade Meyer's field goal percentage of 70.0% is good for second in the conference and seventh in all of Division II so far.