ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (7-2, 2-1 NSIC) will host a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes at the Gangelhoff Center over the weekend, taking on Southwest Minnesota State (4-4, 2-1 NSIC) on Saturday and Sioux Falls (2-6, 0-3 NSIC) on Sunday.

BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
Fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online at cspbears.com/tickets prior to game day. All ticketed events for the 2025-26 academic year will utilize the Vivenu online ticket platform found at that link, and fans must scan a mobile ticket to enter. Tickets will still be sold on site on game day, but purchases are card-only and include additional fees. The best way for fans to make their game day entry as smooth as possible is to purchase tickets online in advance. CSP students, faculty, and staff will be able to download and transfer their free passes through Vivenu.

DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.

WATCH ONLINE - NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC basketball games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology.

Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device, or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears played a pair of conference contests last week, falling 93-87 at home to St. Cloud State and defeating Minnesota State 89-77 on the road.

In the loss to St. Cloud State, both offenses were in rhythm from the opening tip, combining for 68 made field goals and 18 triples with both teams shooting over 50 percent from the field. St. Cloud State finished 37-of-73 (50.7%) from the floor and an efficient 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three, while CSP countered with 31-of-61 (50.8%) shooting, including 8-of-24 (33.3%) from deep, while going 17-of-25 (68.0%) at the free throw line.

The Huskies held a slight 39-37 rebounding advantage and manufactured 14 offensive boards that turned into 11 second-chance points. CSP's bench again made a major impact, outscoring SCSU's reserves 36–30. Concordia also made the most of fastbreak opportunities, outscoring the Huskies 21-8 in the category.

Sophomore Owen Carlson led the Golden Bears off the bench with 17 points and nine rebounds, continuing his hot shooting streak with a 6-of-11 performance, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Junior Ben Kopetzki paced CSP's starting five with 16 points, five assists, and three boards, while senior Sam West stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four steals, and five assists. Ryan Johnson and Chet Kloss chipped in 10 points and an assist each, with Kloss also grabbing four rebounds and two steals.

In the win over MSU, redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson got the Bears off to a strong start in the first half, nabbing a steal on MSU's opening possession and cashing it in for a triple on a pass from junior Chet Kloss to give CSP a 3-0 lead. The Mavericks kept it close and managed to tie the game at both 11 and 14 each, but Concordia never trailed and dominated the final 10 minutes of the half, outscoring the Mavericks 23-10 down the stretch to take a 47-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Golden Bear lead peaked at 19 early in the second half following a three pointer from Jaden Wysocki that made it 57-38 with 17:56 to play. The Mavericks found an offensive spark at that point, controlling the following eight minutes of play with a 28-13 run that included 11 free throws to cut the deficit all the way down to four at 70-66 with 9:31 on the clock. The Mavericks were able to keep it close in the following minutes, still trailing by just four at 81-77 with just over three minutes to play. Concordia dominated the final three minutes of the game, however, closing on an 8-0 run to secure the double-digit victory.

Junior Ben Kopetzki clocked out as the scoring leader for Concordia, putting up 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Senior Sam West put together the best performance of his NCAA career, tallying a career-high 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals. His five steals match the most by a Golden Bear this season and are tied for the 12^th most in a single game in program history.

Johnson was the third leading scorer for CSP with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Wysocki finished with 11 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting performance while pulling down four rebounds. Kloss rounded out Concordia's starting five with eight points and four rebounds, and sophomore Owen Carlson led the charge off the bench with five points and three rebounds.

As a team, the Golden Bears shot 30-of-60 (50%) from the field and 10-of-23 (43.5%) from beyond the arc, while limiting the Mavericks to 25-of-57 (43.9%) overall and just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from deep. The Bears had an advantage in most other statistical categories as well, leading in rebounds (36-30), assists (14-11), steals (12-9), and fastbreak points (19-6).

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
Junior Ben Kopetzki is off to a strong start for the Golden Bear offense, ranking third in the NSIC with an average of 20.6 points per game. Kopetzki also leads the conference in free throw percentage (94.4%) and ranks eighth with 25 assists.

Senior Sam West has been an effective ball distributor for the Golden Bears, ranking second in the conference and 17^th in all of Division II with 5.2 assists per game. West also paces the NSIC with 3.00 steals per game.

Sophomore Owen Carlson has been the top three point shooter in the NSIC thus far, pacing the league and ranking fourth in all of Division II with a 55.8% three point percentage.

As a team, Concordia ranks second in the NSIC with 86.7 points per game on offense and 11^th with 81.1 points allowed per game on defense. The Golden Bears also rank second in three point percentage (39.4%) and turnover margin (+1.8) and third in assists per game (15.4). CSP leads the NSIC with 10.14 steals per game.

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the 51^st all-time meeting between SMSU and CSP, with the Mustangs leading the series 33-17. When playing in St. Paul, SMSU holds a 14-10 edge. The Golden Bears have dominated the Mustangs in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 matchups dating back to 2019.

The teams met just once last season, with Concordia claiming a 92-85 victory in Marshall, Minn. on December 7, 2024.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs enter Saturday's game with an overall record of 4-4 and a 2-1 mark in NSIC play.

SMSU boasts one of the strongest defenses in the NSIC so far this season, allowing opponents to score an average of 74.1 points per game. The Mustangs rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.1) and sit third in free throw percentage at 75.7%.  

Individually, senior guard Jakob Braaten ranks 10^th in the conference in points per game (16.1), second in assists per game (5.5), and third in free throw percentage (86.1%).

SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
In 33 prior meetings with the Cougars, USF holds a 24-9 advantage in the series. When playing in St. Paul, Sioux Falls has posted a record of 10-6 against the Golden Bears.

Concordia claimed victory in both meetings between the teams last season, winning 97-69 in Sioux Falls on December 6 and earning a 108-106 double overtime win on February 6.

ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls enters the weekend with a 2-6 record and a 0-3 record in NSIC contests.

The Cougars score at a high rate, ranking fifth in the NSIC with 82.9 points per game. They also share the ball well, averaging an NSIC-leading 16.8 assists per game. USF has been strong on the glass, ranking second in the NSIC in rebounds per game (40.6) and leading the conference with 15.3 offensive boards per game. On defense, the Cougars allow opponents to score 81.5 points per game, a mark that ranks 12^th in the conference.

Individually, sophomore guard Taylen Ashley ranks eighth in the conference with 18.5 points per game and sits third with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio. Forward Camden Davis has been the top rebounder for USF, pulling down 6.6 per game.