Washington State tore off 14 straight points in the first quarter and went on to beat The Master’s University in an exhibition Wednesday evening at Pullman, Washington.

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

That became evident midway through the first quarter. Tied at four-all with just under seven minutes remaining in the initial stanza, the NCAA Division I Cougars held the Mustangs scoreless over the next 3:47 while streaking to an 18-4 lead. They led 23-9 at the end of the first 10 minutes of play.

There was more of that defense in the second quarter and a lot more offense as the Cougars used a couple of 11-0 bursts to forge a 50-24 advantage at the half.

Hassled by a tough WSU defense, the Mustangs never got untracked offensively, shooting just over 35% from the field. They made some noise in the fourth quarter, the majority of it at the free throw line where they scored nine of their 19 points.

Freshman Anika Neuman was impressive again, leading the Mustangs in scoring with 13 points. Sophomore Brooke Bailey was the only other Mustang in double figures, tallying 10 points. Fellow sophomores Hannah Ostrom and Hannah Forrar combined for 18 points and nine rebounds.

Losing to an NCAA Division I team didn’t dampen Waldeck’s view of his squad. After the game he concluded, “This group is going to be special and I see growth in every game and practice.”

The Mustangs will have another opportunity to display that on a four-game, Northwest road trip when they play another exhibition at Whitman in Walla Walla on Thursday evening.