MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Concordia Cavaliers overcame a first-quarter deficit on Tuesday to top the Western Oregon Wolves 64-47 at NPE Gym and remain in the thick of the race for a spot in the GNAC tournament.

Concordia (13-12, 8-9 GNAC) had trouble finding their momentum early, hitting just one of their first eight attempts from the field and going 3-for-13 in the opening quarter.

Western Oregon (7-16, 4-13 GNAC) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes and held an 11-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

After trailing by as many as seven, the Cavaliers rattled off a 16-0 run in a five-minute span during the second quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish. The lead grew to as many as 12 before the break and was as many as 19 points in the game.

"Concordia outplayed us in every aspect of the game tonight," said Western Oregon head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter. "They are playing well together and fighting hard for that sixth spot."

Olivia Vezaldenos went scoreless over the first 15 minutes of the game before exploding for 11 of her game-high 19 points in the final five minutes of the first half. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference's leading scorer hit 4-of-6 3-pointers on a night where the Cavs dropped nine total shots from deep.

The Wolves were led by the 14 points and 10 rebounds of Natalie DeLonge. For the junior, it was her fifth double-double of the season.

Ronnie Harris also contributed 11 points, hitting 3-of-7 3-pointers in her fourth straight start. Harris has finished in double figures in four straight games.

For the Cavaliers, the win was their seventh in their last 11 games, putting them 1.5 games ahead of MSUB and Seattle Pacific for the final spot in the GNAC tournament.

"They defended and we couldn't get anything going on the offensive end," added Howard-Carpenter. "We have to be able to knock down threes, especially when we are down and until we can do that, we are going to struggle offensively."

The 47 points of offense was just the second time since Nov. 17 the Wolves have been held under 50 points.

Western Oregon returns to action Thursday, Feb. 21 when they host MSUB at 5:15 p.m. The game will be the first of a doubleheader at NPE Gym as a part of Central Youth Sports Night. As a part of a fundraising effort to help CYS replace equipment lost in a fire last month, Western Oregon Athletics will donate $2 of every ticket sold Thursday night.

CYS is a non-profit, volunteer based organization located in Monmouth/Independence that provides sports programs for youth. CYS offers youth opportunities in several sports, including, baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball. Earlier last month a storage unit modular used by CYS was destroyed by a fire with all of its contents lost due to the damage. The Wolves will be offering a chance for the community to help the group directly by attending the doubleheader or to learn more  about the organization by heading to: Central Youth Sports