MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Western Oregon women's basketball team held a slim lead midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn't hang on as a Northwest Nazarene 12-1 run helped the Nighthawks take the lead for good and pull away 74-68 Thursday night at New PE Building in a game where the lead changed 19 times.

The Wolves (7-9 overall, 3-5 GNAC) took a 61-58 lead with 5:14 left when a Mya India Thomas steal led to a Enid Vaifanua fast-break bucket assisted by a long pass from the GNAC's assist leader Ciona Wells.

Unfortunately for WOU, NNU (12-5, 6-2) held the Wolves without a field goal for the next four-plus minutes as it went on its 12-1 run to take a 70-62 lead with 1:26 remaining in the contest as WOU wouldn't get closer than five the rest of the way.

WOU led 18-15 after the first quarter after Bella Pedrojetti drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the period and took that same three-point lead into the half at 33-30.

The Wolves increased the lead to double figures at 44-34 after a Ciona Wells 3-pointer and a Pedrojetti bucket with 5:27 left in the third before a 16-0 run by NNU gave the Nighthawks a 50-44 advantage. WOU, however trailed by just one going into the fourth as Wells drained a 3-pointer in the final second of the period to make it 50-49.

Pedrojetti led WOU with 22 points, going 7-for-14 from the field - including 5-for-10 from 3-point range. MilaSarai Tau was strong off the bench as the freshman had 12 points and nine rebounds while Vaifanua had 12 points and nine rebounds and Wells finished with a team-high seven assists to go along with six points.

The Wolves return to action 2 p.m. Saturday at home against Central Washington.