Frenetic defense gave Rice Women’s Basketball a chance on Thursday against Charlotte, but a lack of scoring resulted in the Owls’ first AAC loss.
Points were at a premium on Thursday night as two of the AAC’s top five defensive teams squared off in Houston. A 12-12 score at the end of the first quarter proved to be a harbinger of things to come as Rice women’s basketball ran out of time in a gritty slugfest of a game against Charlotte at Tudor Fieldhouse.
It was that defense that kept Rice afloat, particularly in the first half. Rice shot 31.6 percent from the floor in the first half and made two of their 13 attempts from three. Despite the aid of six offensive rebounds and 18 forced turnovers in the first half alone — the 49ers’ average 18 turnovers per game — the Owls were unable to build much of a lead, going into halftime with a 27-25 advantage.
Not much changed in the second half. Charlotte out-shot Rice from the field and from three, but the 49ers’ turnovers gave Rice a 73-to-47 advantage in total field goal attempts. On sheer volume, the Owls were able to hang around for quite a while, even though the shots weren’t falling. Eventually, though, the lack of precision proved fatal.
“We were flying around. We were playing hard. It wasn’t about energy. It wasn’t about effort. It was simply about putting the ball in the basket more,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said.
Following a 7-0 Charlotte run to start the fourth quarter, Rice battled back to get the game within two before ending the contest 1-for-9 down the stretch. With the loss, Rice falls to 2-1 in AAC play.
Final Box | Charlotte 61 – Rice 54
FINAL | Charlotte 61 – @RiceWBB 54 pic.twitter.com/52fpk0aJws
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 12, 2024
What They’re Saying
“I didn’t think we were going to go undefeated in conference, but I want us to protect home at all times. You go on the road and you hope you can steal a couple, but we are normally good enough at home to win games. One-and-one with SMU and Charlotte, am i happy with that? Yeah. But I would have loved to be 2-0.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds
Key takeaway | The exception, not the rule
Rice women’s basketball has historically shot the ball very well under head coach Lindsay Edmonds, particularly from deep. The Owls came into this game as the third best three-point shooting team in the AAC, but went 2-for-19 from long range. And it wasn’t as if the Owls were heaving up separation shots.
“They were good looks,” Edmonds agreed. “If you would have told me Dom [Ennis] was going to go 0f-or-6, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. If you told me DJ was going to have a hard time finishing on some layups I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I thought we had some really good, quality looks.”
It wasn’t a shot selection or a personnel problem. The best shooters don’t make every wide-open shot, but for the Owls’ top three-point shooters to strike out so many times in a game that went down to the wire stings. Edmonds noted the team hadn’t played a game in Tudor Fieldhouse in nearly a month.
Perhaps a bit more court time will help return the Owls’ stroke to normal. The defense was fantastic on Thursday. If the offense bounces back, the Owls should be just fine.
Up Next: vs USF (Sunday, Jan. 14)
