DENVER – The Utah Valley women's basketball team fell to Denver, 72-53, in its final non-conference game of the 2017-18 season after strong second and third quarters from the Pioneer offense.
 
In the absence of their leading scorer in senior guard Taylor Christensen, senior guard Mariah Seals carried the brunt of the Wolverines' (6-9) scoring with a team-high 14 points to finish as the squad's lone double-digit scorer. Denver, however, received a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double from forward Jordan Alt and a 10-0 third quarter run to hold off any UVU comeback attemtpt.

"They're a good three-point shooting team and we thought we defended the three really well," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon. "But we're still searching for consistency all-around on the defensive end. We were hunting for points tonight and I thought it ended up getting away from us. We did well in the first half in stretches but their 36 points in the paint was pretty toughs to overcome."
 
UVU held a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter following an 8-2 run sparked by a three-pointer from the left wing by junior guard Britta Spencer with 2:11 left in the first quarter. After feeding sophomore forward Jordan Holland on a layup, Seals capped the Wolverine scoring in the period by converting one of her two and-one plays on the day.
 
During the opening period, the Wolverines held the Pioneers to just one field goal on its first 11 shot attempts of the contest. UVU also held the nation's 12th-ranked three-point making team in Denver without a basket from downtown on their first 13 attempts,  marking the first time it kept an opponent without a three in a single half this year.
 
The Wolverines took a four-point lead after Seals scored four straight points for a personal 4-0 run with seven minutes remaining in the first half. A jumper and a layup by the senior guard helped them take a 21-17 lead.
 
In response to a Seals personal burst in the early part of the period, back-to-back layups by freshman forward Jasmine Jeffcoat helped put the Pioneers ahead for good at 25-21 with 3:55 remaining in the first half. Jeffcoat's buckets inside started an 11-1 scoring burst for Denver that gave them a 40-24 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
At the start of the third quarter, the Pioneers used a 10-0, including its first two threes of the day, to stretch their lead on Utah Valley to 16. The Wolverines then pulled within 11 on a 5-0 run, as Seals converted a three-point play on another layup and free throw before Leya Harvey helped cut the deficit to 40-29.
 
With its last push before DU ran away with the game, Nehaa Sohail grabbed an offensive board under the basket and banked a jumper off the glass inside to pull UVU within 43-31 of the Pioneers to cap a 7-2 burst.
 
UVU's assist leader on the year, Seals also had a team-high tying three assists to match UVU freshman guard Sophia Jacobsson's three dimes on the day. It was the 10th straight outing with three or more assists for Seals.
 
Along with Christensen's absence, Utah Valley spent its last road game of non-conference play without the services of sophomore guard Gabrielle Leos, who has made 11 starts in her second year for UVU.
 
The Wolverines now open league play with three straight road games, beginning with a contest a CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tip-off in the Icardo Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT.