POINT LOOKOUT, MO. – Both teams were highly regarded in the Crossroads League, and will be highly regarded on the biggest stage. St. Francis and Indiana Wesleyan reached the championship of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Division II National Championship, having won semi-final games Monday night.

St. Francis, the top seed in the tournament, had no trouble in crushing IU East, 79-55, in the first semi-final. The Cougars shot 44 percent from the floor and owned the rebounding battle 51-29.

Bryce Lienhoop led the way for St. Francis with 13 points and 14 boards, his second double-double of the tournament. Crossroads Player of the Year Austin Fox had 14 points and hauled in nine rebounds. Fox did a job on IU East’s top scorer, Lucas Huffman, who scored just seven points.

Kegan Comer scored 13 points for St. Francis (33-4) and Parker Salinas had 18 points for IU East, which finish at 22-14.

St. Francis has reached the title game for the third time in six years, winning the title in 2010 and losing in 2011.

Indiana Wesleyan never trailed in the second half, but its 66-65 win over Davenport saw a 17-points second-half lead nearly evaporate. A Davenport three at the buzzer cut the deficit to one, but the Wildcats led for the final 28:53 of the game.

Bob Peters paced the Wildcats (32-5) with 17 points, hitting two free throws to cinch the win. Lane Mahurin scored 12 points and Jonny Marlin added nine points and 11 rebounds.

Kevin Rich led all scorers with 21 points and added eight rebounds for Davenport (32-5) and Nick Gamble added 16 points.

St. Francis likely has a decided advantage in the championship game, having defeated IWU three times already this season. The Cougars beat the Wildcats 82-67 and 87-74 in the regular season, and 81-80 in the Crossroads League championship game. The NAIA title game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday.