SMU guard Sharee Shepherd (left) takes a shot past the block of Houston’s Brittani Allen (right) during last night’s exhibition game at Moody. (Stuart Palley)

The SMU women’s basketball team started their season last night in an exhibition game against the Houston Jaguars.

The Mustangs defeated the Jaguars 84-58 last night at Moody Coliseum.

The team started with sophomore Delisha Wills at forward, senior Katy Cobb at guard, seniors Janielle Dodds and Sharee Shepherd at forward, and sophomore Jillian Samules at guard. The Mustangs came off slow at first, with the game remaining scoreless until the fourth minute with a three-point shot from Samuels.

SMU started off slow, but quickly picked up the game, scoring on three consecutive possessions following Samuel’s first shot. The Mustangs’ pace did not slow down after that. Trading out starters with reserves throughout the game, almost all players saw some time on the court in both halves.

“It was good for us to play against that kind of athleticism and players who can create their own shot,” said head coach Ronda Rompola about the Jaguars.

The Mustangs led the Jaguars at the half 42-25, with a 40 percent field goal attempt, 58 percent three-point mark, and 50 percent free-throw average.

The second half of the game provided playing time for some new faces with sophomore point guard Catherine Campbell scoring four points, and sophomore Alice Severin bringing in a total of four points as well.

The Mustangs were 15-33 in field goal attempts, 2-4 for three-point shots, and 10-11 in free throws during the second half. Overall, the team came away with a 43 percent field goal average, 56 percent three-point shot count and 77 percent on free throws.

Rompola explained, “We’re working on execution; trying to execute our offense, execute our plays against pressure, execute our press offense against pressure.”

Wills closed out the game with a total of 17 points, followed by Shepherd with 12, and Samuels and Gross each totaling ten.

When asked about how she felt about switching positions, Wills said, “I feel like Ronda gave me the green light to play my game.” On how the team played in their first game, Wills feels good about the team overall, but feels there is still room for improvement.

“I felt like the second half was definitely great. We have to come out the first half and not turn it over, but I thought for the most part our defense was pretty good. We played as a team, sometimes we broke down, but for the most part we played as a team.”

The Mustangs will host their second exhibition game of the season against the All Stars this Sunday at Moody Coliseum at 5 p.m.

Regular season play will begin Nov. 9 when the Mustangs take on the Texas A&M Aggies at Moody.

SMU forward Janielle Dodds (25) tries to get a shot past Houston center KeKe Harris (45) during last night’s exhibition game at Moody. (Stuart Palley)