IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine men's basketball team notched a historic victory Friday afternoon, defeating Chaminade 75-69 in the semifinal round of the PacWest Conference Championships to advance to the title game for the first time in school history.

CUI junior Jamel White came up clutch with a team-high 23 points and drained five huge three-pointers. The senior trio of Brian Chambers (18 points), Tyler Lacour (10 points) and Geoff Gerlach (8 points) also helped give the Eagles a lift on offense.

White shot a solid 34 percent from downtown during the regular season, but came out on fire in San Rafael.  The Louisiana native went 5-for-8 from three-point land against the Silverswords and took a couple timely charges as well.

"Not only were Jamel's five threes huge, but him taking a couple charges was probably even more of a momentum-changer," said CUI head coach Ken Ammann. "Each time Chaminade had a chance to turn the tide and those were big plays."

Fresh off making the First Team All-Conference squad, Chambers shot 50 percent from the floor and scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half.

Lacour was a difference-maker off the bench against the Silverswords and scored seven points in the first half.  After both teams locked in on defense to start, Lacour checked in and ignited the CUI offense with a fancy shake and bake move in the paint.  His left-handed floater gave the Green and Gold a 10-9 lead and the Eagles would soon build a 35-28 advantage by intermission.

"Our seniors were clutch," added Ammann. "They rose to the challenge, and they don't shy away from the moment and all three of them played with great poise and energy tonight."

In the first half, the Eagles shot 48.3 percent from the floor and hit five three pointers.  The defense was strong as well.  CUI held Chaminade to just 33.3 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three. 

"We really played defense.That was the number one key," said White. "I shot the ball well and my guys found me and I just executed on offense, but it's defense first that helped us get wide open shots. The guys have been telling me to shoot the ball the whole season and today I just felt hot."

In the first ten minutes of the second half, the Eagles played perhaps their finest basketball of the season against a quality opponent.  Concordia went on a quick 10-1 lead to begin the half, and after a pair of layups by Gerlach and Robert Taylor along with threes by Chambers and White, the Eagles stretched their lead to 16. 

They continued the offensive assault from behind the three-point line, stretching their lead to 19 after another trey by White with 11:16 remaining. The Eagles shot 42 percent (10-for-24) from deep as a team.

But over the final ten minutes, the Eagles offense went cold. The Silverswords climbed back in the game after forcing a few turnovers and were able to trim the CUI lead to just four points at 67-63 with under two minutes to play. Tyler Cartaino led the charge for Chaminade with a game-high 30 points, but CUI clamped down on defense against scoring sensation Grant Dressler.  Dressler was held to only 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the floor. 

Despite seeing their lead shrink to four points, CUI's Lacour, Chambers and White each sank a pair of free throws to help ice the game. The Green and Gold were able to convert 11-of-14 shots from the charity stripe during the contest which helped CUI hold on for one of the biggest wins in school history.

This marks the first time CUI will play in the title game of the men's bracket at the PacWest Championships.

"We worked all year to get to a point where we earned a bye but you have to step up in the postseason and raise the level of performance," said Ammann. "We told them when you get to the postseason, the same effort that got it done in the regular season won't be enough and our guys rose to the challenge."

Concordia will face top-seeded Point Loma in the PacWest championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.  The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament, while the loser will hope to make the tourney as an at-large team.  The Eagles entered this week eighth in the NCAADII West Regional rankings, while Chaminade was sixth and Point Loma ranked second. Point Loma has a chance to host the regional tournament depending on Saturday's outcomes.

In their previous two meetings, both teams won on their home floor during the regular season. Concordia snapped Point Loma's 14-game winning streak with an epic overtime victory in Irvine back in February, while the Sea Lions returned the favor with a double-digit victory on Senior Night down in San Diego.

"Last time, they beat us in every part of the game so this is a comeback game right here," added White. " I can't wait."

"They got us pretty good last game but I know we'll be ready," added Lacour. "It's another do-or-die situation and we got something for them, we've got a little revenge."

To follow the PacWest Championship online with the provided free video live stream and live stats, click here.