ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (6-1, 1-0 NSIC) will return to NSIC play this week, hosting St. Cloud State (3-3, 1-0 NSIC) on Wednesday and traveling to Mankato, Minn. to take on Minnesota State (6-3, 0-1 NSIC) on Saturday.

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 four non-conference games last week, topping Drury (Mo.) and falling to McKendree (Ill.) at the DoubleTree by Hilton Thanksgiving Classic before returning home to host the CSP Thanksgiving Classic where they defeated both Jamestown (N.D.) and MSU Moorhead.

In the win over Jamestown, Concordia controlled the boards with a 42-34 rebounding advantage, including 19 offensive rebounds that led to 15 second-chance points.

Jamestown shot an efficient 28-of-59 (47.5%) from the floor and 8-of-26 (30.8%) from deep, but CSP countered with active hands on defense—forcing 17 Jimmie turnovers and converting them into 20 points while only allowing Jamestown to score 12 points off 12 turnovers. CSP shot 22-of-60 (36.7%) from the field and finished 23-of-29 at the line, while Jamestown attempted just 13 free throws, making seven.

In a first half that featured four lead changes, CSP carried a narrow 39-38 halftime lead thanks to a near buzzer-beating turnaround jumper by senior Sam West. The back-and-forth intensity amped up even more in the second half, with six more lead changes and five additional ties before a pair of clutch free throws from junior Ben Kopetzki with just three seconds on the clock put the Bears up for good at 73-71.

Kopetzki delivered his fourth 20-plus point game of the season, pouring in a game-high 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting while knocking down three triples and going perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. He added four rebounds and a steal.

Junior forward Chet Kloss delivered a strong interior performance, logging his second career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. West impacted nearly every phase of the game with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Sophomore Owen Carlson supplied nine points, four boards, and two steals in 19 minutes off the bench, while Reid Patterson added six points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Freshman Patrick Bath gave CSP valuable minutes in the frontcourt, contributing six points and four rebounds in eight minutes of action. Jaden Wysocki was steady on the boards with eight rebounds, also adding three points.

Sunday's overtime win over MSU Moorhead 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.

STAT SHEET STANDOUTS
Junior Ben Kopetzki is off to a strong start for the Golden Bear offense, ranking second in the NSIC with an average of 20.4 points per game. Kopetzki also ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (93.2%) and 13^th in three point percentage (36.8%).

Sophomore Owen Carlson has been the top three point shooter in the NSIC thus far, pacing the league and ranking 10^th in all of Division II with a 55.6% mark from beyond the arc. Carlson is shooting 57.1% from the field this season, good for fifth in the conference.

Senior Sam West has been an effective ball distributor for the Golden Bears, leading the NSIC and ranking 19^th in Division II with 5.3 assists per game. West also ranks second in the NSIC with 2.6 steals per game. Thanks in large part to a five-steal performance against MSU Moorhead, redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson ranks fifth in steals per game at 2.0.

As a team, Concordia ranks third in the NSIC with 86.3 points per game on offense and 14^th  with 80.0 points allowed per game on defense. The Golden Bears also rank second in three point percentage (39.6%) and turnover margin (+2.71) and fourth in assists per game (15.43). CSP leads the NSIC with 10.14 steals per game.

ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Huskies have met a total of 36 times in prior seasons, with SCSU holding a 9-27 all-time advantage. The series has been more competitive in recent seasons, with Concordia winning two of the last three meetings. When playing at the Gangelhoff Center, St. Cloud State leads 12-6.

The teams met twice last season, with Concordia winning 115-104 in St. Cloud on November 14 and SCSU winning 93-89 at the Gangelhoff Center on January 8.

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
The Huskies enter the week holding an overall record of 3-3 with a 1-0 mark in NSIC play.

The Huskies boast one of the better defenses in the NSIC so far this season as they allow opponents to score just 69.3 points per game, the second-best mark in the conference. Offensively, St. Cloud State ranks 11^th in the NSIC with an average of 71.8 points per game.

Sophomore Luke Winkel leads the Huskies' offense with 18.6 points per game this season, good for seventh in the conference.

Junior Wyatt Hawks has been strong on the glass for St. Cloud State, ranking third in the NSIC with 8.2 rebounds per game while also sitting third in blocks per game with an average of 1.67.

MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears and Mavericks have met 43 times in prior seasons, with MSU holding a 36-7 advantage in the all-time series. When playing in Mankato, Minn., the Golden Bears are 2-19.

In two meetings last season, the home team won on each occasion, with the Mavericks earning an 84-80 victory in December and the Golden Bears winning 93-71 in January.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State enters the week with a record of 6-3 and a 0-1 record in NSIC play.

The Mavericks also feature a stingy defense, allowing opponents to score just 69.6 points per game, the third-best mark in the NSIC. On offense, MSU ranks seventh in the conference with 79.1 points per game.

Individually, forward Malcolm Jones leads the NSIC in field goals this season with 56, while ranking second in total points with 139. The senior also paces the NSIC with 14 blocks and 74 rebounds so far this year.