HAYWARD, Calif.—Held without a field go for the final four minutes, Western Oregon dropped its season opener at Cal State East Bay, 51-47, on Friday.

Western Oregon (0-1) never trailed in the first half and continued to hold the lead at 47-44 with just over two minutes remaining.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Cal State East Bay (1-0), however, reversed the spread as a Courtenay Brown make from distance with 56 seconds remaining provided the eventual game-winner.

The Wolves managed an attempt at a game tying 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining, but the shot came up short and the carom landed in the arms of CSUEB's Jojuan Carrington, who hit the first of two free throw attempts to clinch the contest.

"Obviously, it's not the outcome we wanted but I thought we competed hard for each other. We had good energy and several people contributed tonight," WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter said. "With a very new group, it's important that we learn each and every time we step on the floor and grow as a team. The biggest take away is that we have to clean up our passing and work harder for uncontested shots."

Three Wolves reached double figures in scoring with Natalie DeLonge leading the way with a 12-point night on 5 of 11 shooting. Olivia Denton added 11 and Ali Nelke 10 points. Denton was 6 of 6 from the free throw line and added a team-high seven rebounds from the guard position while Nelke was 4 of 4 from the floor.

The Wolves shot 32.6 percent in the game and were outscored 17 to 10 in the final quarter after Keyonna Jones provided the final field goal for the team at the 4:29 mark.

"Keyonna and Ali got us off to a great start by connecting early and we were able to get to the free throw line so that gave us a chance," Howard-Carpenter said. "A few defensive lapses late in the fourth hurt us and East Bay took advantage and made plays."

Morgan Greene led the Pioneers with 11 points and 16 boards.

The Wolves will turn around and play a neutral game against the Academy of Art on Saturday, Nov. 10. Opening tip is set for 12 p.m. in Hayward, Calif.