LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Sophomore guard Britta Hall went without a field goal in UVU's opening round WAC Tournament victory.
 
On Friday, Hall introduced herself as a scoring threat to Seattle U with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range to lead the Wolverines (8-22, 3-11 WAC) to a near upset in their 61-60 defeat to the No. 2-seeded Redhawks (15-16, 10-4 WAC) in a WAC semifinal that went down to the wire inside Orleans Arena.
 
"My teammates found me today," said Hall. "They fed me the ball when I was shooting well and I feel like we played together as one like we did in our last game."
 
In addition to her sharp shooting, she helped UVU grab a 60-59 lead with a pair of made free throws with 21 seconds remaining in the contest to put the squad in position for a potential berth into the WAC Championship.
 
Seattle U, however, countered on the opposite end on a drive inside by senior Kaylee Best that drew a foul which led to her ensuing game-winning pair of free throws to guide the Redhawks into the conference final.
 
"I think our girls put themselves in a position where they deserved that [win]," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon. "One of the unfortunate things in sports is that being one point away from the championship game you feel like you failed. But I think getting that close is a tremendous success for our girls and hope that they'll eventually see it that way as well."
 
Trailing 45-40, the Wolverines again put up a strong fight as they closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run on Hall's final basket from beyond the arc which was followed up a two-point jumper along with a free throw by junior guard Taylor Gordon. The scoring surge gave the Wolverines a 46-45 lead heading in the fourth quarter.
 
After the Redhawks tied their largest lead of the contest at 55-50, Utah Valley used an 8-2 run sparked by six straight points from junior center Sam Lubcke that brought the Wolverines to within one, 57-56. Lubcke continued to lead the charge with a steal on the very next play, leading to another made jumper from Gordon that gave UVU its first lead since the end of the third quarter at 58-57 with 1:40 remaining on the clock.
 
The leading scorer on the day for Seattle U, center Wilma Afunugo scored the final two of her squad's 25 second chance points on the day on a layup inside after grabbing an offensive board on a Best missed field goal to give the Redhawks a 59-58 lead. Afunugo's putback helped her finish with a game-high 19 points while her 11 offensive board completed her double-double night as she also brought down 15 rebounds in the contest.
 
"I've seen these girls step up to challenges over and over again throughout the year. Its been a unique year for me as a coach. We've played games with five players, we've started some with six and today we played seven. These kids have been amazingly resilient through it all. We have a saying, 'Adversity reveals character,' and they have handled adversity in an incredible way," Nixon said.
 
Despite the loss, the Wolverines finished with four double-digit scorers as Lubcke followed Hall with 16 points (6-of-9 FG), and junior guard Mariah Seals (4-of-9 FG) and freshman guard Gabrielle Leos each added 11. In addition, Lubcke and Gordon each had their second straight WAC Tournament double-double after tying for a team high with nine rebounds apiece.
 
Meanwhile, Seals completed her year with five assists against Seattle U to lead Utah Valley in dimes for the 24th contest this season and give her 17 games with at least five helpers. A 5-3 native of Richmond, Calif., Seals concludes her junior campaign with a career-high, and WAC-best, 144 assists while she sits in third place on the program's all-time assist list with 312 career dimes.
 
"Mariah [Seals] is an incredible person. Trying to be a point guard with a whole new team and as few players as we had everyday has just brought out the amazing qualities in her. She's become a great leader and has had an incredible development, on and off the floor. It's a privilege and honor for me to coach her, Britta [Hall] and all the girls on this team," said Nixon.
 
Along with her on-court skills, Seals has also been one of the most reliable players to ever don a Wolverine uniform. With only one career missed game, Seals ranks third in UVU program history with 91 starts upon completing her third season.
 
A 6-1 native of Murray Bridge, Australia, Lubcke's streak of five straight personal outings with a double-double was snapped. The transfer from College of Southern Idaho Lubcke finishes her first year at the Division I level with a WAC-leading 10 double-doubles.
 
UVU's new single-season offensive rebound leader, Lubcke also led the league in rebounds per game (8.7) and offensive boards (110) while ranking second in field-goal percentage with a 58.6 percent (129-of-220 FG) mark from the floor on the year.
 
After returning only two starters from its squad that posted its best record since joining the WAC in 2015-16, the Wolverines look forward to a hopeful 2017-18 where they will return four seniors and their remaining eight players from this year's roster.
 
UVU finishes the year with an 8-22 overall record and 3-11 mark in WAC play.