North Texas swept a two-game set with Rice women’s basketball over the weekend, leading the Owls for the better part of both contests.
Things got off to a rocky start for Rice women’s basketball on Thursday, their first of a pair of games against North Texas in a four-day span. The Owls managed one field goal and two free throws in the first frame, trailing 13-4 heading into the second quarter. That nine deficit ballooned to 14 by the halftime buzzer.
The second half saw the two teams ping-pong back and forth with long scoring streaks. Rice scored nine in a row to cut the deficit to four points. North Texas answered immediately with a nine-point run of their own to get their advantage back up to 13 points. The Owls would make it a three-point game in the fourth quarter, but North Texas was able to hang on and hit their free throws late to put it away.
Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball grinds out narrow win at UTEP
The Sunday affair shared an eerily similar feeling for much of the contest. Both teams traded baskets early before a 20-0 run by the Mean Green to put the Owls in a 30-12 hole late in the second quarter. Thus began another effort of chipping away. Rice closed the half on a modest 8-5 run, entering the break trailing 33-20.
The Owls would be held to 34.8 percent from the field for the game, cracking 40 points with less than two minutes to play on the clock. With the loss, Rice women’s basketball falls to 7-11 overall and 2-8 in conference play.
Player Spotlight | Malia Fisher
As has been the case for the entirety of the Rice women’s basketball season, it’s been trial-by-fire for freshmen guard Malia Fisher and she has, for the most part, walked away better for her efforts. On Thursday she finished tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points, but also added 10 rebounds, earning the team’s only double-double outing.
For the better part of Sunday, she was the only viable offensive threat the Owls had. She led the team with nine points in the first half and added five more in the second to reach a team-high 14 points for the second-straight game.
Up Next | Full Schedule
Rice women’s basketball has two more games at Tudor Fieldhouse before they hit the road at the end of the month. On Thursday, Feb. 17 the Owls host UAB at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 19 FIU will visit Tudor Fieldhouse for a 2:00 p.m. tip.
