MONMOUTH, Ore. — The Simon Fraser Clan repelled a late push by the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday for a 59-57 win at NPE Gym.

Western Oregon (7-13, 4-10 GNAC) entered the game looking for their first season sweep over Simon Fraser (14-7, 10-4 GNAC) since the 2010-2011 season.

Starting much as they did in Burnaby, B.C. last month, the Wolves out-scored the Clan in the opening quarter 10-5 to establish an early lead. SFU led for just 19 seconds of the opening quarter and 1:26 of the first half.

WOU held SFU to 2-for-19 shooting from the field in the first quarter, allowing just one field goal over the first nine minutes of play. The Clan additionally started 0-for-7 from 3-point range on their way to a five-point first quarter.

"This was a heartbreaker. Definitely one we deserved to win," said Western Oregon head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter. "I thought we came out with a sense of urgency to defend the three and we made them take several contested shots.  They are a good shooting team and I knew it was a matter of time; they would start hitting some."

Natalie DeLonge contributed 10 points in each half on her way to her fourth double-double of the season. The junior forward finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes.

The Wolves held a six-point lead at 34-28 with 4:21 left in the third before Simon Fraser went on an 11-0 run that lasted the rest of the period to take a five-point lead to the fourth.

Junior Tayler Drynan scored all 10 of her points in the second half after an 0-for-6 start from the field. Drynan connected on two crucial three's late to help propel the Clan.

"We still did a good job defending and rebounding after the half, but our offense was stagnant and we didn't get great looks at the basket nor did we get to the free throw line," added Howard-Carpenter.

Western Oregon battled back from down five in the final quarter to hold multiple leads in the final minutes of the game. Leading 50-45 with under four minutes remaining, WOU allowed another big run – this one an 8-0 rally – to Simon Fraser.

The Game was never separated by more than one possession in the last 1:32 with both teams holding a lead during that time.

Trailing by two with four seconds left to play, Western Oregon had the ball coming out of a timeout with a chance to tie. Pushing the ball underneath, a last-second layup was left short to leave the Wolves down by a pair as time expired.

"I'm proud of how we stayed focused and answered after they hit two big three's late in the fourth," said Howard-Carpenter.  "With little time, we had Ali miss her second free throw hoping to come up with the board and we did.  We got a good look at the basket and that's all we can ask for.  The more we are in these situations, the more we'll learn and hopefully come out on the other side."

Ronnie Harris also finished in double figures for Western Oregon. The junior collected 10 points and four rebounds Saturday in 22 minutes.

Simon Fraser was held to a season-low 30.8 percent from the field in the game. It was additionally an opponent-low for Western Oregon.

The Wolves will hit the road next week with road games at Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 14 and Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 16.