OREM, Utah – Utah Valley women's basketball battled from a 16-point, first-half deficit with a pair of second-half runs, but the Wolverines' late push came up just short in a 64-60 defeat to WAC frontrunner CSU Bakersfield Thursday inside Lockhart Arena.
 
Senior Mariah Seals, who scored a team-high 18 points, and sophomore forward Jordan Holland shouldered UVU's (10-17, 4-8 WAC) offense down the stretch with the squad's final 20 points to pull  within two points of CSUB (16-10, 10-2 WAC) heading into the game's final 2:17. The Roadrunners, however, iced the game with a 4-of-5 mark at the free throw line in the final two minutes of the contest to survive the Wolverines' comeback attempt.

"We dug ourselves a whole there in the second quarter down by 16," said Utah Valley head coach Cathy Nixon. "I thought for the remaining 25 minutes minutes we actually played pretty well. CSU Bakersfield is so athletic, and they had 19 offensive rebounds. We just really struggled to keep them off the boards."
 
Trailing 50-43 with 1:50 left in the third quarter, Holland took charge of the game with four points in the last 55 seconds of the period to spark a 13-5 run that cut the CSUB lead to 55-53 with 5:18 left in the contest. After Seals connected on a three-pointer from the right wing after a ball fake, Holland capped a personal 5-1 run with an and-one play to give her 10 points during the fourth-quarter surge.
 
In response to buckets by CSUB's freshman center Vanessa Austin and senior guard Aja Williams, Seals and Holland continued their offensive eruption with baskets of their own to help UVU come to within two points of the 'Runners during the final 3:42 of play. Seals pulled up from the left elbow and then drove the center of the lane past defenders for another layup to bring the score to 59-57 with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
With time ticking away, Seals then nailed a step-back three-pointer with one second to go in the contest to answer four straight free throws by the 'Runners before the final buzzer sounded.
 
After CSUB opened up a nine-point lead with 9:38 left in the third period, UVU also proceeded to outscore CSUB 10-4 behind a barrage of three-pointers from junior guard Britta Spencer and sophomore guard Gabrielle Leos to pull to within 43-41. Spencer hit one of her three three-pointers of the day, while Leos' pair of deep shots capped the quick three minute, 46 second surge and shorten the 'Runner lead to two.
 
The Roadrunners used its 16-point cushion and a 12-0 run in the second quarter to help pull out their eighth straight victory. In their explosive second period run, CSUB junior guard Alexxus Gilbert sparked the run with five points on a three-pointer and layup to put the 'Runners ahead 33-17 near the halfway mark of the quarter.
 
Seals then helped stopped the bleeding with seven straight UVU points as part of a 11-1, quarter-ending run to bring the score to 34-28 at the half. In between a pair of made free throws, Seals rolled around a screen and nailed her second three of the day near the right wing with 1:41 to go in the second quarter during her own offensive eruption.
 
Sophomore center Leya Harvey ended CSUB's stretch of 12 consecutive points with a two-point jumper to the right of the paint to book end the Wolverines' strong end to the first half. On the final play of the half, Harvey then followed up a Seals missed layup with a tip-in to cut the CSUB advantage to six.
 
Despite their third straight setback, Wolverines finished the day from beyond the arc with a conference-play high nine three pointers on the day compared to CSUB's seven treys. Seals also led UVU from downtown with four threes, Spencer drained three of her own and Leos ended the afternoon with two.

The Wolverines finished with three double-digit scorers on the day, including Holland's 17 points and Spencer's 11 points.
 
CSUB overcame the hot-shooting UVU squad on the day with extra possessions gained on the glass with a 41-22 rebound advantage, including 19 offensive boards. In addition, the 'Runners turned their second chances into 18 extra points to withstand the fight put up by the Wolverines in the game's closing minutes.
 
Utah Valley will next host Senior Day to close its final home stretch of the 2017-18 slate against Grand Canyon. Tip-off in Lockhart Arena is set for 3 p.m. MT.