Rice Women’s Basketball saw a three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, falling to UAB on the road.
Tied in the win column with North Texas entering the weekend, Rice women’s basketball was riding a hot streak to the top of the AAC standings. That momentum looked to continue at tip off against UAB with Malia Fisher back in the starting lineup and the scorer of the game’s first points.
Both sides traded baskets in the early going as the lead seesawed back and forth. Seven was the largest margin for either side held only briefly by the Blazers to start the second quarter. Not long after, Rice used a 12-3 run to erase the deficit completely, going in front in the final minute of the half. Fisher led the way with 10 points. She would go on to finish with a team-high 20.
Fisher got the scoring started again in the third quarter and later provided a big basket, punctuating a 10-0 Rice run to put the visiting Owls back in front once more. The eight points of the quarter would belong to UAB, though, providing an ominous foreshadowing for what would prove to be a disappointing fourth quarter for Rice. It would be the final of 17 lead changes in the contest.
UAB couldn’t miss in the final frame, shooting 73 percent from the field to the Owls’ 37 percent. That helped the home team outscore Rice by seven in those final 10 minutes. UAB ended the game on a 6-0 run, slamming the door on any hopes of a late comeback.
Final Box | UAB 87 – Rice 74
FINAL | UAB 87 – @RiceWBB 74 pic.twitter.com/1SwF66DkA0
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) February 17, 2024
Key takeaway | Bench blocked
Following a streak of several huge performances from the Rice bench, the Owls’ reserves were limited to 26 points today. For most teams, that’s a solid showing, but the Rice bench hit 50 points last time out against ECU and was largely kept in check beyond a strong shooting performance from Jazzy Owens-Barnett.
The bench isn’t really a question mark for this squad at this point. We know they’re deep, capable and talented. The question now becomes can the stars of this team rise up and take over a game when they need to?
Malia Fisher (9-of-21), Destiny Jackson (5-of-9) and Dominque Ennis (2-for-11) each had really good moments today. But when push came to shove in the fourth quarter, the efficiency was not there in clutch moments. Nobody should overreact to one game, but it’s a fair reminder that as much as Rice needs its depth, it’s going to need its stars, too.
Up Next: at Memphis (Tuesday, Feb. 20)
