ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a high-octane offensive showcase, the No. 21 Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (6-1, 1-0 NSIC) used a balanced scoring effort to outlast MSU Moorhead (4-3, 1-0 NSIC) in a 111-108 overtime thriller in the final game of the CSP Thanksgiving Classic at the Gangelhoff Center on Sunday afternoon.

The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes, with both teams shooting over 45 percent from the floor and combining for 70 field goals. Concordia gained a slight edge on the glass with a 42-43 rebounding margin, including 14 offensive boards that led to 19 second-chance points. CSP shot 35-of-75 (46.7%) from the field, 13-of-28 (46.4%) from three, and 28-of-36 (77.8%) at the line, while the Dragons countered with 35-of-69 (50.7%) shooting, 8-of-31 (25.8%) from deep, and 30-of-41 (73.2%) from the charity stripe.

The opening 20 minutes were played at a frantic pace, with CSP's bench providing a major spark with a 26-12 scoring advantage on the way to a 47-44 halftime lead. Sophomore Owen Carlson caught fire from deep early on, knocking down three triples on six attempts before the break. Senior Reid Patterson was Concordia's leading scorer at the half with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

The second half brought even more intensity with a total of six ties and six lead changes. Breaking a 61-61 tie with a free throw with 14:11 remaining in regulation, the Dragons put together a 21-9 run to take a commanding 12-point lead at 82-70 with 9:22 to play. The Golden Bears never flinched, however, responding with a 21-8 run of their own covering nearly five minutes to regain the lead at 91-90 with 4:06 to play. Two more ties and two additional lead changes followed in the waning minutes of the half, but the teams were knotted up at 96 each as time expired. 

The Golden Bears never trailed in overtime, leading by as many as five points and holding the advantage for 3:26 of the five minutes. The Dragons managed to pull within a single point with just 12 seconds to play, but senior guard Ben Kopetzki drained a pair of clutch-time free throws for the second straight game to put CSP back up by three at 111-108, a score that would hold until the final buzzer.

Kopetzki finished with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, along with four assists and two steals. Patterson matched his season high in scoring with 21 points and six rebounds off the bench, posting a perfect 9-of-9 performance at the foul line.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson had his best game as a Golden Bear, finishing with a career-high 17 points, three rebounds, and five assists. Johnson also tallied five steals in the game, the most by a Golden Bear since 2022 and tied for the 12^th most in a single game in program history.

Junior forward Jaden Wysocki matched Johnson with 17 points and two rebounds, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Carlson finished with 15 points, six of which came in overtime, and six rebounds, while senior Sam West filled the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

MSU Moorhead was led by Isa El-Amin's 21 points, five steals, and five assists. Dominic Gooden scored 17 points, Sam Hastreiter posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Kabine Kaba added 14 points and five rebounds.

Having now wrapped up their six-game non-conference slate with a record of 5-1, the Golden Bears will return to NSIC play next week when they host St. Cloud State (3-3, 1-0 NSIC) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader with the women's teams.