PULLMAN, Wash. - The University of Dayton women's basketball team dropped a 76-60 decision at Washington State Friday night in both teams' season opener. Senior Andrea Hoover led the Flyers with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go with three steals and two assists.

Also in double-figures scoring for the Flyers were senior Ally Malott with 11 points and junior Kelley Austria with 10 points. For the game, UD shot 31.3 percent from the field, including 33.3 percent from long range.

Trailing by 15 at halftime, Dayton (0-1) would get no closer than 13 to Washington State (1-0) in the second half. The Cougars led by as many as 19, including at 66-47 with just under six minutes remaining in the contest. Down the stretch, the Flyers cut the Cougar lead back to 13, 73-60, at the 1:07 mark after two made free throws from freshman Jenna Burdette. Washington State would hold on for the 76-60 win.

Both teams started slow in the first half with Dayton holding the slim 2-0 margin at the first media timeout. With the score even at 10 points apiece just under 10 minutes into the game, the Cougars rattled off 13 straight points to take the 23-10 lead. The WSU run was stopped by two made free throws from Malott after the under-eight media break. The Flyers were able to cut into the Cougar lead late in the first frame, pulling to within five, 30-25, with 2:33 left to play. Washington State closed the half with 10 unanswered points and held the 40-25 advantage heading into halftime.

The Cougars were led by Lia Galdeira with 21 points and eight rebounds and Tia Presley with 18 points and four steals.

The Flyers return to action on Sunday with a 5 p.m. ET tilt at Gonzaga. Streaming video and live stats will be available here.