SEATTLE — Utah Valley University struggled to get shots to drop in the WAC opener, falling 58-48 at Seattle University at the Redhawk Center on Wednesday night.
 
Kylee Mabry led the Wolverines (3-3, 0-1) with a season-high 12 points, scoring 11 in the second half, while Liana Kaitu'u added 11 points before fouling out late. Mya Moore and Peyton Howard scored 12 points apiece for the Redhawks (1-6, 1-0). Utah Valley shot just 30% (18-for-60) for the game and also was 8-for-16 from the free-throw line.
 
The Wolverines jumped out to an 8-2 lead but went ice cold from there. It was a frantic first half that saw the teams combine for 31 turnovers while UVU made just 28.6% (8-for-28) from the field and 2-of-8 from the free-throw line. Seattle U was 10-for-29 (34.5%) in the half.
 
UVU suffered through a stretch of nine straight misses and nearly eight minutes of game time without a field goal. The Redhawks closed the half on an 8-0 run and extended it to 14-0 with the first six points out of the break to take a 30-20 lead. Mabry ended the cold spell with a corner three with 6:44 left in the third to make it a 30-23 game.
 
Mabry scored nine of UVU's 13 points in the third and assisted on the other bucket, a layup from Tessa Chaney, who also hit a pair from the line. Seattle led 39-33 after three.
 
The Wolverines trailed by 10 before a 7-0 spurt got them right back in it. Halle Nelson hit a three from the corner, Ally Criddle scored on a floater, and Kaitu'u got a bucket down low to make it 45-42 with 4:33 to go.
 
On the next possession, the Redhawks were able to secure two offensive rebounds before Julianna Walker hit a three to push the lead back to six. It was a 50-42 contest before the Wolverines again closed to within three on a Kaitu'u layup with 2:01 left. Irena Korolenko hit a backbreaking 3-pointer on the next possession to give Seattle U a 54-48 lead with 1:33 on the clock to start a 7-0 game-ending run. 
 
Seattle finished 22-for-56 (39.3%) from the field and had a 39-31 edge in rebounding. The Redhawks turned it over 26 times, leading to 17 Wolverine points while UVU cut back on its giveaways in the second half, turning it over just six times and totaling 21 for the game.
 
Chaney finished with six points and 10 rebounds while Criddle scored seven points and pulled down six boards. Utah Valley returns home on Saturday for the Old Hammer Rivalry against Utah Tech in WAC play. Tip is set for 2 p.m. MT from the UCCU Center in Orem.