Coe (0-1) jumped ahead 5-1 one minute into the contest, but WU rallied behind back-to-back baskets by senior Danielle Beehler. Beehler, who scored the Bears’ first five points, sparked a 12-3 run to give the Red and Green a 13-8 advantage.
WU extended its lead to 13 points (27-14) after Beehler scored on a breakaway to force a Coe timeout with 6:51 to play in the first half. Beehler finished the first frame with a team-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Senior Kelly Manning contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, helping the Bears shoot .533 (16-of-30) from the field. Amber Karkosh led Coe with seven points; the Kohawks shot just .280 and trailed 39-17 at halftime.
The Bears extended their lead to 30-plus points for the majority of the second half. Freshman Shanna-Lei Dacanay scored six of her 10 points in the second frame to make an impressive collegiate debut. She connected on 5-of-7 field goals, including 3-of-4 in the second half.
Senior Katie Benson also chipped in 10 points to give the Bears three players in double figures. Beehler led all scorers with 16 points and five rebounds. Junior Rebecca Parker added nine points and eight rebounds.
The Red and Green limited the Kohawks to .273 shooting for the game; Karkosh led Coe with 10 points.
Washington U. (1-0) returns to action Saturday at 4 p.m. against 22nd-ranked DePauw University in the WU Tip-Off championship game.