By Matt Bos, NAIA Media Coordinator

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – (Box Score) –Travis Wells sparked a late first half run that pushed No. 3 Cornerstone (Mich.) past No. 11 Saint Francis (Ind.) 75-64 in the first quarterfinal contest played at the 2015 NAIA Men's Division-II Basketball Championship at Point Lookout, Mo.

Wells knocked down back-to-back three pointers and then converted an old-fashioned ‘and 1’ to spark a 20-9 Cornerstone run at the end of the first half. The Golden Eagles’ brought a 34-28 lead into halftime. Defensively, Cornerstone buckled down, limiting the Cougars to four field goals over the final 7:30 of the first half.

A three-point basket by Ben Lanning gave Cornerstone its largest lead, 49-36, at the 14-minute mark of the second half. With the game in balance, Saint Francis made a charge back, outscoring the Golden Eagles’ 12-3 over a six minute stretch to trail 52-48 following a free throw by Bryce Lienhoop.

A couple of free throws by Michael McLaughlin put Cornerstone back in front by nine but USF guard Seth Small converted a four-point play moments later to make it a two possession game. Cornerstone, however, proved to be too much, outscoring the Cougars 10-5 over the final three-plus minutes, holding USF to one field goal during that time.

"We had some guys step up and stay composed after they made a big run to cut it to four,” said Cornerstone head coach Kim Elders. “We had too many turnovers by playing fast but we settled down and hung on to beat a great team"

Cornerstone shot 44% for the game, 43% from beyond the arc. Wells led all scorers with 20 points, making all three of his three-point attempts. Lanning registered his second double-double of the championship with 11 points and 11 boards and Kyle Steigenga netted 15.

"Our team philosophy is that it isn't a single player's point but OUR point,” commented Cornerstone guard Travis Wells. “To be able to hit some shots after my teammates set great screen and made good passes, felt great."

Saint Francis was led by Austin Fox with 17 points and seven rebounds and Kegan Comer scored 13. USF was held to just 32% from the field but held a slim 37-35 edge on the boards. They end the season with a 27-8 record.

Cornerstone advances to its sixth national semifinals and improves to 31-5 on the year, the fourth most wins in school history. Coach Elders moved up to second in wins at the championship (30), trailing only Danny Miles (Oregon Tech) with 33. The Golden Eagles’ will play either No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) or Southern Oregon in the second semifinal game on Monday.