WSU defeated The Master’s University by a score of 95-57 Wednesday night in Beasley Coliseum. The Cougs won the tip-off and shortly after, WSU senior guard Calia Hailey kicked off the scoring with a 2-point shot. The Mustangs would tie the score at 2-2 and again at 4-4, but after that, WSU held the lead for the rest of the game.

“I think it’s been a long time since we put 100 shots up,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “That’s really exciting. We talk about being a high-octane offense and being an exciting and entertaining team, and I think you might have seen a little bit of a glimpse of that.”

Cougar athletes forced the Mustangs to 28 turnovers in the game, which turned into 44 defensive points. The home team’s lineup featured 13 WSU athletes, all of whom recorded at least two rebounds and scored at least once. Although Master’s came away with a loss, the team shot higher three-point and free throw percentages than the Cougars.

“I thought we, once again, played extremely hard,” TMU Head Coach Dan Waldeck said. “Our team is continuing to improve and had to compete against an outstanding defensive team in WSU.”

WSU junior guard Alexys Swedlund led the Cougars with 15 total points, but four of her teammates also scored double-digits.

Multiple starters were absent for some time last season due to injury, including redshirt sophomore forward Borislava Hristova, redshirt junior forward Louise Brown and sophomore guard Chanelle Molina. All three players started in the exhibition contest.

“Last year when the injury bug hit us, not once, not twice, but four times, there were 60 points sitting on the bench next to me,” Daugherty said before the game. “Those kids are all back.”

Hristova scored 14 total points in her return to the court. Brown had three blocks and one steal, while Molina scored eight points and recorded two steals. Together, the returning athletes played a combined 56 minutes.

One of Molina’s sisters, freshman guard Celena Molina, committed to WSU and racked up three points in five minutes.

“We were rewarded for a lot of hard work in the off-season, and it’s fun to see how much people have improved,” Daugherty said.

WSU women’s basketball won’t return home until a 1 p.m. tipoff Nov. 19 when the team faces the University of Kentucky Wildcats in Beasley Coliseum. The Cougars’ first regular season game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at University of California, Davis.