CHARLOTTE-Chowan University’s Cinderella run in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament came to an end here Friday night.

In a battle of “birds,” the Hawks lost 84-62 to the St. Augustine’s College Falcons in the tournament’s semifinals at Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Bobcats.

The Hawks, making their first appearance in the CIAA tourney, never got untracked Friday afer cruising to a 74-46 rout of Johnson C. Smith in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Chowan Coach Jim Tribbett said it was pretty simple: “They dominated on the boards and played well the whole game. They got two and three opportunities on plays. We tried to get in our rhythm and play Chowan-style ball, but we just couldn’t do it.”

The Falcons led by as many as 10 in the first half and held a 40-32 advantage at intermission.

“We had several chances in the final minute of the first half to really close the gap and give us more momentum going into the second half, but we were not successful,” Tribbett said.

St. Augustine cruised to victory in the second half and advanced to Saturday night’s final against Elizabeth City State.

Lando Morrison with 24 points and Jaleel Nelson with 17 led Chowan in scoring.