ST. PAUL, Minn.  – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (14-4, 9-3 NSIC) secured its most wins in a season since 2014-15, hanging on for a 70-68 win over Bemidji State (6-12, 3-9 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the Gangelhoff Center.

With 10 games to play in the regular season, the 14-4 Golden Bears have already secured their highest win total since the 2014-15 campaign that saw them finish 19-11 overall and 14-8 in NSIC play. The win also brought the all-time series between the two teams to dead even at 20-20. The home team has dominated in the series, with CSP now holding a 15-6 record against BSU at the Gangelhoff Center.

The Golden Bears led for a majority of the opening half, leading by as many as 12 before taking a 38-31 advantage into the intermission. The Bears never surrendered the lead in the second half, but a late push by the Beavers made things interesting as BSU pulled within a single point on a three pointer with just four seconds on the clock. A pair of clutch free throws from senior Marcus Skeete followed, putting the final nail in the coffin as Concordia hung on for the 70-68 win.

Skeete led the way for Concordia, going a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe, and scoring 20 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Ben Kopetzki was next on the box score with 14 points, three rebounds, and an assist.

Antwan Kimmons was the only other Golden Bear in double figures, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, and a team-leading five assists.

Senior Cade Meyer was the leading rebounder for Concordia, pulling down eight rebounds and adding nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. Japannah Kellogg provided a spark off the bench for the Bears, knocking down both of his attempts from the field and all four of his free throws for eight points and two rebounds.

Skeete proved to be the hot hand early in the game, scoring Concordia's first 10 points to put the Bears up 10-3 after knocking down a pair of three pointers and a pair of mid-range jumpers. The Golden Bear advantage expanded to 15-2 shortly after, but an ensuing 20-8 run by the Beavers tied the game at 23 each with 8:08 to play in the half. The Beavers briefly gained the lead at 25-23, but CSP closed the half on a 15-8 run to take a 38-31 lead into halftime.

The Bears were the more efficient team in the first half, knocking down 13 of their 28 attempts (46.4%) from the field while holding the Beavers to just 13-of-34 (38.2%). Concordia also managed a 20-18 edge in total rebounds in the half, but BSU had a 9-5 advantage in assists.

Concordia held a comfortable advantage for most of the second half, clinging to a double-digit lead at 66-56 with under three minutes to play. Bemidji State would not go down without a fight, however, putting together an 11-2 run capped by a pull-up three pointer that cut the deficit to a single point at 68-67 with just four seconds to play. Skeete was fouled immediately after inbounding the ball, sinking both of his free throws for what proved to be the final nail in the coffin as Concordia went on to claim the 70-68 win.

For the game, the Golden Bears outshot the Beavers 42.6% (23-of-54) to 41.2% (28-of-68) from the field and held a 33.3% (6-of-18) to 25.0% (6-of-24) edge from beyond the arc. Bemidji State was more effective in sharing the ball, holding an 18-9 advantage in assists. Concordia narrowly outrebounded BSU 39-38. Fast break opportunities provided another advantage for CSP as they outscored the Beavers 9-2 in the category.

The Golden Bears will head to North Dakota for a pair of Northern Sun tilts next weekend, taking on #14 Minot State in a massive clash on Friday before facing UMary on Saturday.