DEFIANCE, Ohio -- Indiana Wesleyan University advanced to the championship game of the Defiance College Tournament with a 70-62 win over No. 16-ranked Brescia (Ky.) University on Friday night in Defiance, Ohio.

Senior forward Elaine Hessel and junior center Krystal Stoneking combined to score more than half the Wildcats points versus Brescia as IWU won its fifth contest this season against a ranked NAIA Division II opponent.

Hessel scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Stoneking finished with 15 points and eight boards as the pair tallied 37 of the 70 Wildcat points.

Indiana Wesleyan (11-2) never trailed in the first 25 minutes on Friday night following a fast 11-2 start to open play. Sophomore forward Lyzz Smith drilled a 3-point basket with 8:32 left before the half to double up Brescia 22-11 for the first double figure lead of the night.

Three minutes later Hessel scored in the paint for a 30-16 lead. The 14 point advantage was the largest of the night for either team. IWU took a 33-23 lead into the half.

Brescia (9-2) tore out of the gate in the second half and captured their first lead of the game courtesy of a 17-5 run to take a 40-38 advantage with 14:28 to play. Brescia continued to add to their lead and held a 54-48 lead with 9:02 remaining.

But Indiana Wesleyan regained their first half form over the next eight minutes of play. IWU outscored Brescia 21-4 to turn a six point deficit into an 11 point lead at 69-58 with 1:18 left to seal the victory.

The Wildcats shot well from the field Friday night at an even 50.0-percent (24 of 48) from the floor and 45.5-percent (5 of 11) from 3-point range. The Bearcats did not fare as well as the IWU defense limited BU to 40.4-percent (23 of 57) shooting.

Brescia's Brittany Bird led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting. Clarissa Houston was the only other Bearcat in double digits with 17 points.

Smith chipped in with six points and seven boards for the Wildcats while seniors LeAnn Douglas and Kayla Thompson contributed six points and three assists each.

Indiana Wesleyan will play in the tournament championship match at 3 p.m. on Saturday versus the winner of Defiance (Ohio) College and Allegheny (Pa.) College.