Rice Women’s Basketball overcame a slow start to take down Memphis behind 10 blocks and a big double-double from Shelby Hayes.
The defensive effort was impressive from both sides of Sunday’s afternoon tilt between Rice Women’s basketball and Memphis, particularly in the first half. The two teams combined for 19 field goals before intermission, each shooting 30 percent from the floor and going a combined 2-for-18 from three.
It was Rice who dominated the glass from the start, but that advantage didn’t really start to create any separation until the third quarter when the Owls started to take charge. Rice shot 64 percent from the floor in the third quarter, effectively turning defense into offense with 10 blocks along the way, the most in a single game for the program since 2018.
More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program
That helped the Owls build their first double-digit lead of the game and it would only grow as the fourth quarter prolonged. A layup from Shelby Hayes, who recorded her second career double-double in this game, put Rice up by 17 as the game clock ticked under six minutes to play. That proved to be not nearly enough time for the Tigers, even though they tried their best to make things interesting.
“We just did everything that coach asked us to do and performed really well.” Hayes said.
The win brings Rice women’s basketball back to .500 in league play and two games above .500 overall.
Final Box | Rice 70, Memphis 59
FINAL | @RiceWBB 70, Memphis 59 pic.twitter.com/0vjpcV3KcU
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 12, 2025
Key takeaway | Beat bad teams
The Owls’ struggles to close out resume-building opportunities this season has been well documented, but no such resume booster was on the table against a 3-11 Memphis squad on Sunday. Instead, this was the sort of game Rice women’s basketball couldn’t afford to lose, especially give the limited cushion they’d allowed themselves with those other missed chances.
Things looked dicey early on, but the Owls found that extra gear they needed, weathering a series of three pointers that got their opponents back within seven before Rice slammed the door with a run of six late free throws to put the game out of reach.
A lot hasn’t come easy for this program in recent weeks, but getting back in the win column and not having to sweat out another closer-than-expected finish could go a long way to rebuilding confidence lost along the way.
Not every game is going to be against the Memphis’ of the world. But when it is, you need to beat them. So far, so good.
Up Next: at North Texas (Wed, 1/15)
