Feb. 02– Concordia (12-9, 6-6 NSIC) used a dominant first half against Minnesota Crookston (4-18, 1-12 NSIC) to earn a 71-51 win at Lysaker Gym to avenge their loss earlier in the season and also earn their first back-to-back NSIC wins on the year.

Sophomore Craig Heiman (Marshall, WI) scored Concordia's first six points and 12 of the Bear first 22 points in leading the Golden Bears to a 22-4 lead with 6:56 to play in the first half.

Concordia held a 35-17 lead at the half, outscoring the Golden Eagles 18-4 in the paint and scoring eight points on seven Minnesota Crookston turnovers.

The Golden Bears also held a 9-0 margin in second half points in the first half, outrebounding the Golden Eagles 21-17, incuding five offensive rebounds.

In the second half, Concordia led by as many as 28, 65-37 with 4:37 left and 67-39 at 3:00.

Heiman led a trio of Golden Bears in double-figures with 23 points on 8-15 from the field, making 1-4 from three point range and 6-7 from the free throw line.  He added a team-high seven rebounds and three assists in the win.

James Metcalf (Sr., Killeen, TX) finished with 14 points on 5-7 from the field, including 1-2 from three and 3-3 from the charity stripe.  He also had six rebounds.  Sophomore Mike Cunningham (Minneapolis, MN) added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Golden Bears finished the night shooting 26-57 (45.6%) from the floor, but only 2-13 (15.4%) from beyond the arc.  They were also a very impressive 17-19 (89.5%) from the free throw line.

Minnesota Crookston was led by Aaron Smith with 11 points, the only Golden Eagle to score in double-figures.

Concordia will return to NSIC action on Feb. 8 when the University of Mary will visit the Gangelhoff Center.  Action is set to tip at 8:00.

Box Score - CU 71, UM Crookston 51