MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Corban University women's basketball team led by as many as 19 in its exhibition battle with NCAA Division II foe Western Oregon University on Monday afternoon. The relentless Wolves stormed back with an impressive second half, however, earning a 59-56 comeback victory over the Navy and Gold.

"We got off to a great start and played really well in the first half," said head coach Bill Pilgeram.

Pilgeram couldn't have drawn up a better start for his squad, which began Monday afternoon's contest with an 8-0 run. The Warrior defense was relentless from the start, holding the Wolves without a bucket until six minutes into the contest.

Corban limited Western Oregon to just 2-of-17 shooting in the first quarter, contributing to an 18-4 Warrior advantage after 10 minutes.

The Western Oregon offense began to come alive in the second half, but the Warriors' sharp shooting kept the deficit at 14 as the two squads entered the locker room at halftime.

It appeared as if the Navy and Gold was well on its way towards earning the program's first win over Western Oregon since 2006. However, the team's first-half advantage was all-but-erased in the third quarter, during which the Wolves outscored Corban 26-13 to pull the game within one.

The two squads battled back and forth in a tight fourth quarter, giving fans the sense that the contest was destined to come down to the final moments.

That would indeed be the case, as Western Oregon's Shariah Green converted a clutch three-point play to break the tie with just three seconds left.

Green (14 points, five rebounds) would finish the day as one of two Wolves in double-figures, a couple points behind Keyonna Jones (16 points, four assists) for the team lead in scoring.

The duo was integral in the hometown squad's furious comeback, helping the Wolves improve their 25.71 FG% in the first half to 48.28% in the game's final 20 minutes.

Jordan Woodvine led all players with 25 points in the battle, going 9-for-18 from the floor and grabbing four rebounds.

In contrast with the Wolves, Corban's shooting cooled off after the intermission. The Warriors saw a particularly-uncharacteristic absence of their perimeter presence, going 0-for-6 from downtown in the second half.

Abby Forsyth provided a bright spot for the squad on the defensive end, snatching a steal and providing a number of key stops in her first start since returning from injury.

"Abby gave us a big lift defensively in her first start of the year," Pilgeram said about his senior guard.

It won't be long until Corban (6-4, 2-1 CCC) returns to the court, hosting Northwest University and The Evergreen State College in a pair of big Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) duels this Friday and Saturday.