Buffalo, NY - 4th seeded Johnson & Wales Charlotte defeated 5th seeded University of Maine-Augusta 82-67 in the quarterfinal round of the USCAA Divsion II Women's Basketball National Championship on Wednesday afternoon.

The Wildcats built an early 14-7 lead behind 11 total points from Laken Powe and Jordan Durant before the Moose closed the first quarter on a 13-1 run to take a 20-15 lead after 10 minutes. Maliah Preston made consecutive three pointers early in the second quarter that sparked a huge Wildcat run. JWU outscored UMA 25-9 in the period as they made 9 of 17 shots while holding the Moose to just 1 of 7 from the field.

JWU slowly pulled away in the second half, building as much as a 24 point bulge before settling for the 15 point final margin. JWU forced 28 UMA turnovers and grabbed 28 rebounds, which allowed them to attempt 40 more field goals than their opponents.

Powe led the Wildcats with 19 points, while also grabbing 9 rebounds. Durant and Gabby Tapley scored 13 points each. Tapley also had 13 rebounds, while Durant dished out 7 assists. Maliah Preston made 4 three pointers for her 12 points.

JWU advances to Friday's semi-final where they will take on top seeded Christendom College at 1pm.