SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team reached heights the program had never seen before Saturday night in a masterful performance at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.

The Golden Eagles won their first-ever CCAA tournament title with an impressive 73-62 win over host and No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino in Coussoulis Arena. Cal State LA (24-7) extended its program single-season record for wins with an added bonus of claiming a championship.

The Golden Eagles were making their first-ever appearance in a tournament title game and they sure made it count.

Cal State LA, which was seeded No. 3 for the conference tournament, will now set its sights on the NCAA Playoffs. The Golden Eagles were the No. 2 team in the West Region heading into the tourney.

The Golden Eagles have thrived with their tremendous balance all season and Saturday was no exception. Tournament Most Valuable Player Eche Okeke led five Golden Eagles in double figures with 19 points and nine rebounds. Deuce Walker had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, Shane Bell had 12 points and two assists, Corey Cofield had 12 points and six rebounds and A'Jahni Levias had 10 points and three assists.

Cal State LA, after a slow start, got its offense clicking, but perhaps the story of the night was the Golden Eagles' defense, which forced 19 turnovers and forced Cal State San Bernardino (23-7) to just 38.9 percent shooting. The Coyotes were just 4-of-20 from 3-point range.

The Golden Eagles, on the other hand, shot 42.6 percent and was 4-of-10 from 3-point range. Cal State LA had only nine turnovers in the contest and turned up the heat in the second half when the Golden Eagles shot 46 percent and limited Cal State San Bernardino to just eight baskets over the final 20 minutes.

Cal State LA started slowly and trailed by as many as seven points in the first half. The Golden Eagles trailed 31-26 with 3:27 to go in the half, but scored the next six points on a layup by Okeke, a dunk by Cofield and a pair of free throws by Levias to take a 32-31 halftime lead.

Cal State LA trailed early in the second half, 40-38, but went on a 9-0 run to take a 47-40 lead and never trailed again. A pair of free throws by Cofield tied it, a free throw by Okeke, two free throws by Cofield, a pair of free throws by Walker and a steal by Walker and layup by Bell put the Golden Eagles ahead, 47-40.

A layup by Cofield gave the Golden Eagles a 55-42 lead with 8:50 to go and the title was within range. The Coyotes got to within five points and were still within reach down by six, 62-56, with three minutes left, but a free throw by Dominic Escobar, a 3-pointer by Bell and a free throw by Okeke gave the Golden Eagles a 67-56 lead with 2:20 to go and they kept a safe margin the rest of the way.

Okeke was named the tourney MVP, while Bell, Cofield and Walker joined him on the all-tournament team.

Cal State LA clinched the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will making the program's first NCAA appearance since 2000.

The tournament field will be announced on Sunday at 8 p.m. on ncaa.com