DULUTH, Minn.  – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team (16-6, 11-5 NSIC) dropped a hard-fought Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference battle to Minnesota Duluth (14-7, 9-6 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at Romano Gym, falling to the Bulldogs 88-87.

With the win, UMD secured the series split with CSP this season after the Golden Bears claimed a 93-89 victory over the Bulldogs in December. Minnesota Duluth now holds a 21-14 advantage in the all-time series and has won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Both teams spent roughly nine minutes with the lead in the first half, but Minnesota Duluth managed to carve out a 47-44 lead at halftime. A late push by the Golden Bears cut an eight-point deficit down to just one with 10 seconds remaining in the second half, but Concordia's final shot attempt was blocked as time expired to seal the narrow victory for UMD.

Senior guard Antwan Kimmons put together another outstanding outing, logging his fourth double-double of the season with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the game. He was extremely efficient with his shots, going 7-of-11 from the floor, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

Sophomore Ben Kopetzki was a key contributor for the Golden Bears, going 5-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc to score 17 points while adding two assists, a rebound, and a steal.

Junior guard Reid Patterson provided a huge spark off the bench, knocking down four of his six shots, including 3-of-5 from deep, to score 11 points and help Concordia outscore UMD 18-12 in bench points. Japannah Kellogg was the only other Golden Bear in double figures with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Cade Meyer added seven points and six rebounds, while Marcus Skeete had seven points and three rebounds for CSP.

Kimmons came out hot, using a layup and a three-point jumper to score the game's first five points and stake out a narrow CSP lead that would hold for several minutes. The Bulldogs kept it close, taking their first lead at 17-16 just over seven minutes into the contest. Four more lead changes followed, but it was UMD clinging to 47-44 advantage as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime.

Both teams shot the ball well in the first half, with Concordia going 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the field and 5-of-10 (50%) from deep while the Bulldogs were 19-of-38 (50%) from the field and 5-of-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc. Turnovers were a problem for the Golden Bears in the half, committing eight to UMD's two to get outscored 13-4 in points off turnovers.
 
It didn't take long for the Bears to tie the game in the second half as Kopetzki drilled a three pointer just 17 seconds in to even the game at 47 each, but UMD quickly recaptured the lead and pushed it as high as seven in the following minutes. A 10-2 scoring run by Concordia allowed the Golden Bears to jump back on top at 59-58 with 13:51 remaining, but the lead once again proved to be short lived as UMD scored on its next possession to reclaim the advantage. The deficit would grow to as many as eight points in the game's final five minutes, but a 10-0 scoring burst by Concordia gave the Golden Bears an 85-83 advantage with 2:14 to play.

Minnesota Duluth's Austin Andrews made what proved to be the final field goal of the game on the ensuing possession to even things up at 85-85 with 1:51 on the clock. The game became a free throw contest from that point, with Kopetzki going 2-for-2 at the line to pull Concordia within a single point with just 10 seconds left in regulation. A pair of misses at the charity stripe by Minnesota Duluth followed, allowing Concordia to inbound the ball with a chance to take the lead at the buzzer. Kimmons took the ball down the court and drove toward the hoop in the waning seconds of the contest, but his shot attempt was blocked by UMD's Matt Thompson as time expired to seal the win for the Bulldogs.

The two teams continued to shoot hot throughout the game, with UMd going 36-of-64 (56.3%) from the field and 5-of-8 (62.5%) from deep while Concordia was 28-of-54 (51.9%) from the field and 9-of-16 (56.3%) from deep. UMD won the battle on the glass with a 31-30 edge in rebounding, but Concordia shared the ball slightly better with 13 assists to Minnesota Duluth's 12. 

The Bulldogs were paced by Austin Andrews with a game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Charlie Katona was just behind him with a 22-point, seven-rebound effort.

The Golden Bears will follow a similar schedule next week, hosting Sioux Falls (12-9, 8-7 NSIC) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before playing at Wayne State (14-8, 8-8 NSIC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.