It took a full 40 minutes, but Rice Women’s Basketball came out on top, holding on to a one-point lead in the final minute to take down North Texas.
The intensity was palpable on the floor of Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday night as 10-Seed Rice Women’s Basketball battled with 2-Seed North Texas with a trip to the American Athletic Conference Semi-Finals on the line. Emotions were high as the ball raced up and down the court with the Owls dictating the game in the early goings, albeit barely.
Rice led after the first quarter. They led at halftime. They led after three. None of those leads were by more than three points. In fact, through three quarters, there were just 30 seconds of the game to that point in which either team had led by more than two scores. When it comes to close games, it’s hard to envision much tighter than this.
Emily Klaczek, whose 13 points were second on the Owls’ in scoring to only Destiny Jackson, delivered a trio of big three-point shots in clutch moments, helping Rice keep pace in the second half.
“You never want it to be as close as it was, but to some degree, it’s kind of fun sometimes when it’s down to the wire,” Klaczek said. “I really got a lot of belief in our team and when it’s a close game like that, I would take us any day.”
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That unity was put on display in the final three minutes. Rice would make one field goal during that stretch as North Texas turned a six-point Rice lead into a one-point Mean Green advantage. Rice players were tired, admitting as much after the game, but they resolved to keep pushing and find a way to win.
“I was also impressed by our team too, lifting them up, giving them energy,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. “When they were coming to the bench there was like so much energy fed into them. Timeouts were really locked in, really focused. I think that also helped them, being able to push through, because they knew their teammates 100 percent had their backs.”
Destiny Jackson hit the eventual game-winner with 41 seconds to play, but it would take several more stops amidst turnovers and miscues before Rice women’s basketball was able to exhale. And even then, North Texas’ last shot, a long three, dipped halfway into the cylinder before rattling out. Rice needed that one last stop. They got it.
“I think the last two years with us, we’ve always kind of hung our hats on offense,” Edmonds said. “But this year, when we’ve been really good, it’s been us hanging our hats on defense.” On Monday night, that defense held the highest-scoring team in the AAC, North Texas, to just 59 points, almost 16 points below their average night. As a result, Rice is moving on.
Final Box | Rice 61 – North Texas 59
FINAL | @RiceWBB 61 – UNT 59 pic.twitter.com/9FIGObdBuG
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 12, 2024
What They’re Saying
“I think we have the want to. We talked about it yesterday, putting our foot down and getting one more stop. Putting our foot down and getting one more rebound and one more rebound and not letting anything affect us or anything stop us for being able to do that.
Mindset. Mentality. Focus. I think we’ve had it for 40 minutes for the last two games. Really, really proud of their grittiness down the stretch to be able to get those stops.” – Head coach Lindsay Edmonds
Key takeaway | Battle Tested
In a game in which Rice women’s basketball led for 31 minutes, there wasn’t ever really a moment where the Owls could exhale. No lead was safe enough, no possession long enough, to afford either side to come up for air. The in-game win probabilities oscillated wildly back and forth as neither side ever took a commanding lead.
Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. Here's the ESPN in-game win probability. So many swings, but @RiceWBB moves on! pic.twitter.com/iLNvPUyio1
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) March 12, 2024
Rice has been in several close games in the past month, but it’s been a while since they’ve endured a 40-minute slug fest like this and come out on top. When it comes to finding ways to win in March, experiences like this matter. The Owls have been through this fire. Their reward? At least one more chance.
“We’ve talked a lot about adversities that we’ve faced this season and how it was going to bring us March blessings,” Edmonds said. Here we are. We got to keep doing it. Tomorrow’s the next day and we’ve got to keep fighting.”
Up Next: vs Temple/Tulane on Tuesday, March 12 at 8:00 pm
