A career day from Louann Battiston lifted Rice Women’s Basketball late as the Owls overcame a fourth-quarter rally to take down Louisiana Tech and advance in the WBIT
It wasn’t the postseason tournament they were hoping to participate in, but Rice women’s basketball still brought their same level of rigorous intensity with them to Tudor Fieldhouse on Thursday for their first round WBI Tournament game against Louisiana Tech.
The once familiar Conference USA folks traded defensive stops early, with Louisiana Tech leading 13-11 after the first quarter. That’s when the Owls’ offense took off and the Lady Techsters more or less stopped scoring. Rice outpaced Louisiana Tech 24-11 in the second frame, replacing a two-point deficit with an 11-point halftime lead as Louann Battiston led all scorers with 10 of her career-high 21 points at the break.
Rather than go away quietly, Louisiana Tech would slowly close the gap, getting back within six points to open the fourth quarter before retaking the lead midway through the fourth on a furious 22-5 run. Trailing for the first time since the opening quarter, Rice was ready.
A succession of big threes, the last and final from Battiston with 21 seconds to play, put Rice back in front. The defense forced a turnover on the ensuing possession from Louisiana Tech, setting up a pair of free throws, again from Battiston, to ice the win.
The win was the 29th of the season, the most wins in a season in program history.
Unfortunate news came just before Rice women’s basketball tipped off postseason play. American Conference Player of the Year Victoria Flores will miss the entirety of the Owls’ postseason run because of an injury suffered in the American Conference Championship Game.
For a team that has relied on its starting five as heavily as Rice has, the prospect of playing a potentially extended stretch of games without such a crucial player is daunting, even if they had faith in Battiston to step up.
“Obviously, we miss Vic. We’re a great team with Vic on the floor. We’re also a great team because we can insert Lou. I think all year long we’ve had six starters, if I’m being honest. Six players who are capable of starting,” Edmonds said.
“We miss Vic being out on the floor, but she was incredible tonight with Lou. Every time there was a dead ball, she was talking to Lou; she was encouraging Lou. I think that’s a sign of a good team. When you have a woman go down, it’s next woman up mentality.”
The team seemed to adjust quickly to Flores’s absence, pairing stifling defense with an offensive spark that started in the second quarter. Driven by the inspiring play of Battiston, the conference’s reigning Sixth Player of the Year, Rice stayed poised under pressure and found a way with Flores off the court. It might not be ideal, but it’s proof that they have what it takes to persevere in her absence.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves in that moment. There’s nothing we can do about it. We can only control the things we can control and we controlled how we responded,” Edmonds said. “I thought Lou did an incredible of responding and stepping up and Vic did an incredible job of also leading from the bench, too. She’s the Sixth Player of the Year for the reason, I think she showed that tonight.”
Up Next: WBIT Second Round at Kansas on Sunday, March 22
