RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In its first-ever PacWest postseason game, Concordia faced an 11-point deficit early in the second half, but came back for a 69-65 upset of No. 4 Point Loma on Thursday in the first round of the 2018 PacWest Men’s Basketball Tournament.

BOX SCORE        POINT LOMA INTERVIEW        CONCORDIA INTERVIEW        PHOTO GALLERY
 
With the win, No. 5 Concordia improved to 20-10 on the season for its second 20-win season in its three years in the PacWest. The Eagles will go on to play No. 1 Dixie State on Friday night. Point Loma drops to 21-9, and will find out on Sunday night what the Sea Lions await in the NCAA West Regional.
 
Concordia trailed 40-29 with 16 minutes left in the game, but the Eagles responded with a 13-2 run to tie the game with 10 minutes left. JT Roach started the run with a 3-pointer and Tad Dufelmeier made two lay-ups and a 3-pointer of his own.
 
With two and a half minutes left in the game, Sterling Somers gave the Sea Lions a 63-61 lead, but Geoff Gerlach answered on the other side of the floor with a lay-up. On the next Concordia possession, Dufelmeier knocked down a 3-pointer and the Eagles never trailed for the rest of the game.
 
In the final minute, Point Loma had a chance to tie the game and the Sea Lions’ leading scorer Preston Beverly had the ball in the post. Tyler Lacour-Brown drew a charge on the play in what turned out to be the game-winning stop.
 
Dufelmeier led the Eagles offense, making 7 of 12 field goals and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc for 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Gerlach finished 6 for 8 from the field for 13 points.
 
Beverly scored nearly a third of Point Loma’s points with 21, making 8 of 12 shots from the field. Point Loma leads the nation in rebounding margin, but the Eagles matched their opponents with 26.
 
Concordia will play Dixie State for a second time this year in the final game on Friday night. The Trailblazers won the first meeting at home.