OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's basketball put forth a strong first-half performance on its home court versus neighboring Brigham Young but ultimately fell to the Cougars, 68-50, in the season opener for both teams Friday night at the UCCU Center.
 
The Wolverines (0-1) were led by their starting backcourt throughout the game, as Mariah Seals and Britta Hall combined for 33 points to account for more than half of their squad's scoring on the evening. Sophomore transfer Hall finished with a team-high 18 points in her UVU debut, while Seals contributed 15 to open her junior campaign.
 
"I'm really proud of our girls," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon, who enters her 22nd season with the program. "I thought they fought well. Obviously there are things we need to do better to compete with a team like BYU, an NCAA tournament team, but what I take away from this is that we're going to have a good team."
 
In her first collegiate game in nearly two years, Hall shook off the rust for 15 first-half points, including nine in the second quarter. Hall hit three three-pointers in the second quarter, including a bucket that put the Wolverines up at 22-19 and another pair to help them hold the lead for over five minutes.
 
"I owe that all to my teammates," she said. "They were penetrating and found me. I knew I had to shoot the ball and be confident. But I give the credit to my teammates for not only finding me, but also rebounding and getting the ball back."
 
Seals also found success on the offensive of the floor in the second quarter, scoring 10 points to help keep Utah Valley within three points of BYU (1-0) at 36-33 entering the half. Seals converted on a pair of shots from downtown and added four free throws to end the first 20 minutes of play with 12 points.
 
UVU shot 50 percent (5-for-10) from beyond the three-point line in the second quarter, entering the half with all seven of their three-pointers made at a 43-percent clip from downtown. Hall, who set a freshmen record for three-pointers made at San Jose State in 2013-14, led all Wolverines with five on the night.
 
"For 30 minutes we were actually really good. We had some stretches where I thought we were right on point, focused on what we needed to do and executed well on offense and got stops," Nixon said.
 
After the lead slipped away during the second half, UVU junior guard Taylor Gordon cut the deficit to one possession after nailing two free throws with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Wolverines stayed within single digits of the Cougars before Hall made a brief exit near the end of the third period to rest after sustaining a minor injury.

Brigham Young took advantage of Hall's absence, going on an 8-2 run over the last 1:33 heading into the fourth. The Cougars extended their run to 18-2 three minutes into the fourth quarter, as they pushed their lead to 22 points in the final six minutes on a layup from guard Makenzi Pulsipher.
 
 Utah Valley had three players reach double figures, as Gordon joined teammates Seals and Hall with 11 points. Gordon also grabbed 12 rebounds to tally her first double-double of the season.
 
In the paint, the Wolverines controlled the glass to end the night with a 47-34 advantage in rebounding. Gordon led Utah Valley on the boards, followed by freshman Jordan Holland's 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut.
 
UVU next returns to the court against Weber State on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. The contests against the Wildcats will be the first game of a double-header prior to the Wolverines' men's basketball home opener.