WHITEWATER -- One fourth-quarter three-and-out after the other, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offense continued to pin its hopes for a third straight national championship game appearance on the Warhawks defense.

It was a defense that the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor had been bending all day long, but hadn't yet broken.

The Crusaders had first-and-goal from the three-yard line and got nothing. They had a first-and-10 at the Whitewater 32-yard line and turned the ball over, and they missed a field goal and botched another with a mishandled snap.

In the end, the Whitewater defense took each Crusader scoring chance head on, and each time the Warhawks unbelievably survived.

So after Whitewater escaped with a hard-fought 16-7 win over the Crusaders in an NCAA Division III semifinal Saturday at Perkins Stadium, senior defensive back Matt Blaziewske summed up the Warhawks' bend-but-don't-break afternoon.

"(Mary Hardin-Baylor) can move the ball," he said. "But if they don't score, they don't win."

Because Blaziewske and the defense remained intact, they advanced to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl next Saturday in Salem, Va., where, for the third straight time, they will face No. 1 ranked Mount Union (Ohio).

"They had some opportunities," Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said of the Crusaders. "They had some chances to change the game."

Whitewater quarterback Danny Jones's 1-yard sneak gave the Warhawks a 6-0 lead with 7:43 left in the first quarter.

But Mary Hardin-Baylor and quarterback Josh Welch would match Whitewater 's score on the ensuing possession when Welch capped the six-play, 42-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge of his own to give the Crusaders a 7-6 after one quarter.

But the Warhawks grabbed the lead right back when Jones hooked up with senior wide receiver Neil Mrkvicka for a 25-yard scoring strike and a 13-7 lead.

Mary Hardin-Baylor then squandered two golden opportunities to score points.

After a 9-play, 37-yard drive, Crusaders kicker Joel Munoz missed a 43-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

After a 56-yard shovel pass to Quincy Daniels set Mary Hardin-Baylor up with first-and-goal from the Whitewater three-yard line on the first series of the second half, the Crusaders offense unraveled.

A Daniels run on first down gained only a yard, and Welch was sacked on second down. After an incomplete pass on third down, the Crusaders opted for a 26-yard field goal attempt.

But Josh Saenz couldn't handle a high snap from Peter Medlock, and the ball went through Saenz's hands and was loose before he scooped it up and recovered, but not before a loss of 11 yards.

"We had a great opportunity to win the ball game and we didn't," Crusaders coach Pete Fredenburg said.

"I think that was one of the first times we stopped someone on the goal line," Whitewater defensive back Gabe Shultz said. "We made big plays and took over when they got close."

Whitewater sealed it when Jones took a designed draw 62 yards down the far sideline, setting up a 39-yard field goal from Jeff Schebler with 2:31 left in the game.

"It looked so nice when I got there on the edge," said Jones, who rushed 16 times for 87 yards and a score, and completed nine of 22 passes for 126 yards and a TD. "I kind up set up my blocks, swept through there and saw a lot of green.

"I know I died at the end, but we still got the field goal."