BEXLEY, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace road warriors are not done yet.

Despite an abysmal start that included just a single field goal in the first nine minutes of Thursday's Division III Ohio Athletic Conference semifinal game at Capital, Baldwin Wallace never stopped fighting.

Using an eye-popping 56-point second half, fifth-seeded Baldwin Wallace advanced to the OAC championship with an 81-67 win at top-seeded Capital. 

Despite trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half, Baldwin Wallace came out of the gate in the second half with elite energy. Going on a 7-2 run to begin the second half, Baldwin Wallace found itself right back in the game trailing 35-32 a few minutes into the half.

Exchanging blows back and forth, Capital continued to hold a lead, however a change of momentum seemed to be triggered on a key defensive play.

Giving up five inches to Capital senior post Caleb Cox on a switch on the block, Baldwin Wallace senior guard Jay Battle stood his ground. Bumping Cox on his first two rhythm dribbles, Battle smartly positioned himself to take a charge, as the 6-foot-2 senior Gahanna alum took a hard blow from Cox, prompting a charge call and huge energy boost for the Yellow Jackets with 12 minutes remaining.

From this point forward, Baldwin Wallace was in attack mode on the road against the OAC's top defensive team. When Capital made a big shot, Baldwin Wallace made a bigger one.

The Crusaders took a 46-41 lead on a three from senior Joey Weingartner with 10 minutes remaining. Baldwin Wallace wasted no time trimming the lead back to a single possession, as sophomore guard Matthew Dimitrijevs pulled up from deep, cutting the deficit to 46-44 with 9:50 to go.

Capital once again struck with another three, this time from senior forward Will Hannah. The Yellow Jackets didn't care though, as senior wing Kyle Nader drove baseline and converted a difficult up and under finish through contact. Converting the three-point play, Nader's crucial score seemed to take some wind out of Capital's sails with 8:50 to go.

From that point forward, Baldwin Wallace made a run that broke Thursday's semifinal open.

Using a 21-10 explosion over the next six-plus minutes, Baldwin Wallace turned elite half court defense into big shot after big shot.

Battle took the Yellow Jackets' first lead of the game on a tough driving layup with 6:45 to go at 54-52.

As was the story in the second half, when Capital delivered with a three, so did Baldwin Wallace.

This was where junior guard Michael Quiring made the three biggest shots of his season.

Knocking down three-straight unconscious triples with a hand in his face, Quiring provided Baldwin Wallace with the boost it needed to pull away in a huge moment in Thursday's game.

Quiring's last triple, a leaning corner three where he might have been fouled, put Baldwin Wallace ahead 67-59 with 2:34 to go.

The wheels seemed to begin to fall off for Capital, as an ensuing technical foul the next trip down the floor helped Baldwin Wallace push its lead to double digits.

Controlling the final two minutes, Baldwin Wallace grinded out a Capital team that came into Thursday's semifinal as the best defensive team in the conference.

Going a scorching 68 percent from the field on 17-of-25 shooting in the second half, Baldwin Wallace played like a team on a mission in the final 20 minutes.

Quiring stepped up in the second half, providing 14 of his 16 points in the period on three triples. The junior guard played one of the best games of his season and seemed to get out of a funk, which could serve the Yellow Jackets well in Saturday's conference title game.

Battle overcame a rough start to the game, as he changed his mindset in the second half. Attacking off the dribble in the ballscreen game, Battle made an intense effort to get to the rim, as he scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, while adding six rebounds and five assists. A consummate leader that commanded both ends of the floor, Battle continued a decorated career on Thursday.

Junior forward Tyler Colombo had a great second half, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Luke Schaefer scored all 10 of his points in the second half, knocking down some key shots and playing tough defense.

Receiving great production off the bench, junior forward Drew Sova and Dimitrijevs each added eight points while freshman guard Shane Zalba pitched in six points.

Senior wing Kyle Nader rounded out the starting lineup with seven points, none bigger than his three-point play that tied the game in the second half and gave Baldwin Wallace a second wind.

For Capital, the Crusaders end its best regular season in a decade with 20 wins. The Crusaders will not await its destiny as Capital will hope for an at-large bid for the Division III NCAA tournament.

The Crusaders were led by senior guard Austin Schreck who led all scorers with 20 points. Schreck added another impressive performance in a big-time senior campaign where he has been one of the top guards anywhere in the Midwest. Schreck surpassed 1,000 career points earlier in the season, as the Erlanger, Ky. (shoutout Peecox) native has been one of the very best players to come through Capital in recent years.

Weingartner and Cox each pitched in 13 points, as the senior duo wrapped up its final home game in strong fashion. Hannah added nine points while junior guard Dan Auble pitched in seven points.

Receiving only five points from its bench, Capital suffered from a lack of depth due to a broken finger injury from starting sophomore guard Cameron Caldwell. Seeming to run out of gas in the second half, Capital will hope to extend its season into the NCAA tournament. 

With a deep group of seniors who have revitalized the program after three challenging years, Capital has a lot to be proud about despite Thursday's loss. 

With back-to-back road wins at No. 5 Wilmington and No. 1 Capital in a span of three days, Baldwin Wallace will look to keep rolling on Saturday at 7 p.m. against No. 2 Mount Union. With a strong senior leader in Battle surrounded by talented underclassmen, Baldwin Wallace will again have something to prove against a Mount Union team that it took down in the final meeting of the regular season.