Buffalo, NY - Johnson & Wales Charlotte fell to top seeded and defending national champion Christendom 71-55 in the USCAA Division II National Championship semi-finals on Friday.

The Crusaders built a 44-26 lead at halftime on the strength of 16 of 21 shooting from inside the arc. They also outrebounded the Wildcats by 6 over the 20 minutes and forced 8 JWU miscues.

Christendom opened the second half on a 9-2 run over the first five minutes that saw their lead balloon to a game-high 25 points at 53-28. JWU turned the tide at that point, finishing the third quarter on a 17-3 spurt that left them trailing by only 11 with one quarter remaining. The Wildcats continued their push throughout the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as Jordan Durant's layup with 5:55 to play brought JWU to within five at 56-51, the closest they had been since the 4:44 mark of the first period. Christendom in turn scored the next five points of the game to go back up by ten and was never threatened after that.

De'Ashaj Crawford led JWU with 13 points. Samara Britt posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Durant and Laken Powe scored 8 points each.