ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (8-3, 3-2 NSIC) will play its final games of 2025 on the road this week, taking on Wayne State (Neb.) (5-6, 1-4 NSIC) on Thursday and Augustana (S.D.) (6-4, 4-1 NSIC) on Saturday in a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contests.

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 hosted a pair of NSIC games last weekend, falling to Southwest Minnesota State 71-80 on Saturday and defeating Sioux Falls 95-92 in overtime on Sunday.

In the win over Sioux Falls, junior guard Ben Kopetzki led all scorers with a career-high 34 points, marking the first 30-point game of his collegiate career. He shot 10-of-22 from the field, knocked down three triples, and went 11-of-14 at the free throw line while adding four rebounds and two assists. Sam West followed with 17 points, five rebounds, and a game-high eight assists, while Jaden Wysocki chipped in 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the first double-double of his career. Chet Kloss also finished in double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Owen Carlson added seven points off the bench.

The Golden Bears broke a 24-24 tie midway through the first half with a layup from West and surged from there, going on a 12-1 scoring run covering just over two minutes to take a 36-25 lead. The Cougars responded with a strong stretch of their own as they outscored CSP 17-8 in the following three minutes to jump back on top at 42-41, carrying a 44-41 lead into halftime shortly after.

Sioux Falls led for a majority of the second half and held a six-point lead at 79-73 with just 1:23 on the clock, but the Golden Bears closed the half on a 6-0 run ending with a free throw from Kopetzki with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime.

The Cougars led by as many as three early in the extra period, but a layup from West put Concordia on top at 87-86 for the final time with 1:45 on the clock. A pair of three pointers by Sioux Falls in the final 11 seconds kept the Cougars within striking distance, but the Golden Bears did just enough at the charity stripe to stave off the comeback, going 5-for-6 at the free throw line in the final 15 seconds to secure the narrow victory.

As a team, Concordia shot 33-of-70 (47.1%) from the field and controlled the glass with a 48-40 rebounding advantage. The Golden Bears also held the edge in assists (20-15) and points in the paint (50-38). The Cougars finished 31-of-74 (41.9%) from the field and 7-of-21 (33.3%) from beyond the arc.

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
Junior Ben Kopetzki is off to a strong start for the Golden Bear offense, pacing the NSIC with an average of 21.6 points per game, good for 20^th in all of Division II. Kopetzki also leads the conference in free throw percentage (90.1%) and ranks 11th with 29 assists.

Senior Sam West has been CSP's top ball handler, ranking second in the conference with 5.6 assists per game and leading the league with 3.18 steals per game.

Sophomore Owen Carlson has been the top three point shooter in the NSIC thus far, pacing the league with a 53.1% three point percentage.

As a team, Concordia ranks second in the NSIC with 86.0 points per game on offense and 12^th with 82.0 points allowed per game on defense. The Golden Bears also rank third in three point percentage (30.8%) and lead the conference in both assists per game (16.0) and steals per game (9.6).

WAYNE STATE SERIES HISTORY
Thursday will mark the 54^th all-time meeting between the Golden Bears and Wildcats, with Wayne State holding a 31-22 advantage in the series. When playing in Wayne, Neb., the Golden Bears hold a record of 8-17.
Concordia has held the edge recently, winning three of the last four, including both matchups last season. Concordia escaped with an 85-79 victory at the Gangelhoff Center in December and a 77-60 road win in February.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Wayne State enters the week with an overall record of 5-6, including a 1-4 record in NSIC play.

The Wildcats rank 10^th in the NSIC with 76.7 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 77.2 points per game. Wayne State shoots the ball effectively, ranking sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (47.2%) and fifth in three point percentage (36.8%).

Senior forward Andrew Stokes has been the most efficient shooter in the conference, pacing the league with a 61.9% field goal percentage. Sophomore Matt Noll leads the team with 14.2 points per game, while junior Aurrion Harris leads the team on the glass with 6.7 rebounds per game, sixth-best in the NSIC.

AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY
Augustana holds a dominant advantage in the all-time series with a record of 31-7 against the Golden Bears. Concordia had the edge last season, winning the lone meeting 99-97 at the Gangelhoff Center on December 14.

ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Augustana holds a record of 6-4 with a 4-1 mark in NSIC play.

On offense, the Vikings average 82.8 points per game, fifth-best in the NSIC, and allow opponents to score 77.1 points per game, sixth-best in the NSIC. Augustana also ranks first in the NSIC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42) and third in effective field goal percentage (55.4%).

Sophomore Tameron Ferguson has been the top ball distributor in the conference to this point, leading the NSIC in assists per game (6.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.00). Ferguson also leads the Vikings in scoring with 20.4 points per game, fourth-most in the NSIC.