SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Concordia weathered a fierce second-half comeback by Chaminade and held to win 75-69 and advance to the first PacWest Championships final in program history on Friday afternoon in Conlan Center.

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No. 2 seed Concordia led 61-45 with six minutes left in the game after Brian Chambers broke a full-court press to earn an open lay-up. However, a minute later, Rowan Young made a dunk in a 3-point play that sparked a 13-2 run for No. 3 seed Chaminade. Tyler Cartaino had six points during the run with the help of the Chaminade full-court press, which forced Concordia into 11 second-half turnovers.
 
Concordia led by only four in the final minute when Jamel White made four-consecutive free throws before Chambers made the lay-up that secured the win. White scored a game-high 23 points, making 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc.
 
Concordia improves to 23-9 on the season and will advance to play the winner of No. 1 Point Loma and No. 4 Azusa Pacific on Saturday at 2 p.m. Chaminade dropped to 23-7 on the season following the loss, but the Silverswords’ season could continue in the NCAA West Regional. Chaminade will discover its playoff destiny during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday night.
 
Concordia went on a 9-0 run that was concluded by a long 3-pointer on the wing by Tyler Lacour-Brown to take a 15-9 lead that lasted for the rest of the game. The Eagles went on another run in the first half that included back-to-back 3-pointers for White followed by a Chambers jumper that made the lead 30-18. The Eagles continued to shoot well from the outside with a 41.7 3-point field-goal percentage to maintain the lead.
 
Cartaino scored a game-high 30 points to help Chaminade get back in the game in the second half. The PacWest leader in field-goal percentage made 9 of 16 shots and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Grant Dressler added 12 points and four rebounds.
 
Concordia will find out its opponent in the final later this afternoon. The Eagles split the season series against both Azusa Pacific and Point Loma during the regular season, winning the first meeting with both teams.