Moorhead, Minn. – The Crown men's basketball team got off to a slow start in their season opener against St. Mary's and that slow start continued in the first half of their matchup with the Concordia College Cobbers.   The veteran Polars came out a different team in the second half, winning the second period 58-37 en route to a 99-86 victory. 

Crown trailed 49-41 at the half, and were fortunate to be that close thanks to some big contributions from the bench at the end of the half. 

Trailing by as many as 16 in the first half with just 2:54 remaining, Crown went on a 10-0 run that included a pair of big threes from Donovan Tynes.  After a pair of late free throws from Concordia to close the half, Crown trailed by eight.

The second half was a different story as Crown shot 20-30 from the field and 10-17 from beyond the arc, exploding for nearly 60 points. 

The offensive explosion was led by Cade Carroll who scored 24 second-half points and finished with 37 for the game. 

Not far behind in the second half was Seth Royston who scored all 16 of his points after the break and, like Carroll, went 4-6 from deep in the second half. 

Jacob Van Dam, who led Crown with 14 in the first half, had nine after halftime including two made shots from behind the arc. 

That trio of Polars outdueled Matt Johnson who had an astounding 42 points for the Cobbers. 

The win moves Crown's record to 1-1 on the season as the games come thick and fast in this early part of the non-conference schedule.