BISMARCK, N.D.  – Taking its final lead of the game with under four minutes to play in a second half that featured nine lead changes, the Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (15-5, 10-4 NSIC) escaped with a narrow 71-65 win over the University of Mary (4-19, 2-12 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon.

The win was Concordia's third in its last four meetings with UMary, with CSP now holding an 18-8 advantage in the all-time series against the Marauders.

Tied at 20-20 following a back-and-forth opening 10 minutes, the Golden Bears closed the first half on a 17-6 run to carry an 11-point lead into the intermission. The Marauders fought back to recapture the lead just nine minutes into the second half, and nine lead changes followed in the game's final 11 minutes. CSP regained the lead with 3:58 on the clock on a pair of free throws from senior guard Antwan Kimmons, and held the advantage the rest of the way, eventually escaping with a six-point win.

Kimmons tied for the game high with 19 points in the contest, 14 of which came in the second half. He knocked down five of his 12 attempts from the field, going 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe. Kimmons also contributed five rebounds and a game-high five assists.

Senior Cade Meyer was right there with him, scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, a block, and two steals. Sophomore Ben Kopetzki was the only other Golden Bear in double figures with 12 points, a rebound, and three assists.  

Marcus Skeete and Japannah Kellogg added nine and eight points, respectively with Skeete pulling down eight boards and Kellogg contributing nine.

The opening nine minutes of the game contained seven lead changes, but Concordia broke a 20-20 tie at the 10:47 mark with a three pointer by Marcus Skeete and closed the half on a 17-6 run to take a 37-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the half, the Golden Bears went 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the field while the Marauders were just 11-of-36 (30.6%). Concordia also dominated the glass with a 26-15 advantage in rebounds, and had seven assists to UMary's four.

The Golden Bear lead grew to as many as 15 in the opening minutes of the second half, but a strong push from the Marauders allowed UMary to recapture the lead at 48-47 just a few minutes later. Eight more lead changes followed, with Concordia taking what proved to be its final lead of the game on a pair of free throws from Kimmons with under four minutes to play. Including those free throws, Concordia closed the game on a 9-2 run to seal the tight win.

For the game, the Golden Bears were 24-of-53 (45.3%) from the field while holding the Marauders to just 37.5% (27-of-72), the third lowest percentage of any opponent this season. CSP also finished with a 46-30 advantage in total rebounds and dominated in transition with an 18-6 edge in fast break points.

Ty Rogers led the way for UMary with 18 points, two rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

The Golden Bears will return home this week to host Minnesota State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before hitting the road for a game at Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.