POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - #15 Saint Francis (Ind.) rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat #10 Cornerstone (Mich.) 79-73 in the third quarterfinal game of the 2010 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. The Cougars will be playing in their first ever national semifinals on Monday, March 15. The 2010 event is being played at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.)

The lead switched hands four times during the first nine minutes in what proved to be a very close contest. With the score tied at 21 at the 11 minute mark, Cornerstone closed the first half on a 21-12 run to take a 42-33 lead into the locker room. The Golden Eagles shot an even 50% in the half but defensively kept Saint Francis in check, holding the Cougars to 31% from the field. Saint Francis kept it close with a 24-17 advantage on the boards.

The second half was a different story as Saint Francis rallied and after back-to-back jumpers by Austin Leisure, the Cougars took their first lead (49-48) since the 12 minute mark of the first half. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes but, with a basket by DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis, Saint Francis grabbed the lead for good, 56-54. A 6-0 run followed and the Cougars opened up its largest lead (62-54) before a jumper by Dominic Allen put Cornerstone down one, 70-69. A basket by Sawyer-Davis and four free throws by Leisure down the stretch clinched it for Saint Francis.

"Just the intensity was the biggest thing. Austin and Qadr both cranked up the intensity in the second half and everybody fed off of it," stated Saint Francis coach Jeff Rekeweg. "They pushed the ball and found guys in transition, got to the basket and finished. Austin getting to the rim and finishing was huge. Qadr's second half was so much better than the first half." The Cougars were led by Sawyer-Davis who recorded his second double-double of the championship with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Leisure came off the bench to score 15 for USF while Ferdinand Morales-Soto scored 12. Saint Francis shot 52% in the second half, 42% for the game, and controlled the boards 42-34.

"What's impressive, as much as we struggled, and with things going wrong in the first half, we gathered ourselves, moved the ball, got good shots, and made big stops and big plays," added Rekeweg. Cornerstone shot 48% for the game and was led by Bryan Pasciak and Matt Kingshott with 17 points each. Ronald Bates added 12 points and six boards. The Golden Eagles end the season with a 29-6 record.

Saint Francis improves to 26-9 and will play either #3 Indiana Wesleyan or #6 Oklahoma Wesleyan in Monday's semifinal.