MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon Wolves utilized an impressive first half to handle the No. 25 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks 81-66 on Thursday night at NPE Gym.

Rattling out 50 points before the break, Western Oregon (18-8, 11-6 GNAC) took a 27-point lead into the half and never trailed in the retaliatory win.

Firing early and often from long range, WOU connected on 11-of-20 attempts from 3-point distance to double up Northwest Nazarene (18-5, 13-4 GNAC) in the first half, leading 50-23 going into the locker room.

NNU came into the game boasting the conference's top scoring offense as well as a 51.4 percent field goal shooting mark — good for 10th in the nation. The Wolves' defense was able to hold the Nighthawks to just 32.1 percent shooting from the field in the first half and 37.1 percent in the game.

Leading 20-19 midway through the first half, WOU held NNU to just two field goals over the final 9:47 of play in the half as part of a 30-4 spree. That run spread their lead to 27 going into the break. NNU would never be within single digits again in the game.

Riley Hawken accounted for 18 first-half points alone after converting 7-of-10 attempts from the floor and 4-of-7 from deep. He finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Darius Lubom tied his career-high with eight assists in 29 minutes off the bench. The sophomore added on four points and a pair of rebounds to support his night.

Etan Collins added on another 15 points, getting all of his scoring from behind the arc while Kaleb Warner rounded out the double-digit scoring with 13 points in 24 minutes.

The 16 team 3-pointers made Thursday night by the Wolves is tied for the 6th-most in a single game in the school's NCAA-era history.

With the result, Western Oregon is one win away from clinching a spot in the GNAC Tournament .The Wolves currently hold the No. 4 spot in the conference standings, trailing No. 3 Seattle Pacific by two games and lead No. 5 Alaska Anchorage by two games.

The Wolves will close out the home portion of its schedule on Saturday against Central Washington. Opening tip for Senior Night is set for 7 p.m. against the Wildcats.