Rice Women’s basketball split their two-game set at the Cancun Challenge, falling to BYU in the opener before blasting Vermont in the second game.
BYU 63, Rice 51
FINAL | BYU 63, @RiceWBB 51
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) November 29, 2024
Owls drop their first game in Cancun. Back in action tomorrow against Vermont. pic.twitter.com/LfZbfIfiEE
The Story
Rice got off to a strong start, opening up a 12-5 first quarter lead as BYU struggled to find its footing. The Cougars woke up and finished the half on a 26-10 run, opening up a gap the Owls would be unable to close. BYU would lead by as many as 17 points, comfortably holding on to the lead with the exception of a brief third quarter rally from Rice to get back within seven.
Rice 79, Vermont 57
FINAL | @RiceWBB 79, Vermont 57
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) November 30, 2024
Big win for the Owls to close out their trip to Cancun. pic.twitter.com/1sqjkbGON5
The Story
Vermont jumped out to an early lead in this one but it was the Owls’ turn to turn up the intensity on offense. Rice rallied from a five-point first quarter deficit to take a six point lead at half. Then they opened the floodgates, exploding for a 16-0 run in the third quarter to bury the Catamounts. The Owls led by as many as 28 points, cruising to a big win to close out their trip to Cancun.
What We Learned
It was truly a tale of two games. In the opener against BYU, Rice women’s basketball endured their worst shooting performance of the season. They followed it up with their best shooting day from the floor. The contrast between these two games serves as a fitting reminder of the team’s volatility and the growth needed for the Owls to reach the level of a premier program.
At their best, Rice women’s basketball is capable of competing with many top teams. The key challenge now is finding consistency and building on those strong performances. While this may seem like nitpicking, it’s the standard that has been set by head coach Lindsay Edmonds, who continues to hold her program to high expectations.
“I’ve known all season that we were capable of hitting the three at a very high volume and just been waiting for it to happen,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said following the Vermont win. “For us to be able to come out here tonight after what happened last night and have the focus to put the ball in the hole, probably when we needed it the most.”
Last year’s AAC Tournament run was proof the version of the Owls that showed up against Vermont could show up four days in a row. The next step might be finding the version of this team that played against Houston and being that team every single day. Rice didn’t shoot the lights out in that game, but they played well. The defense was consistent and strong.
The defense has been solid. The shooting has ebbed and flowed. To some extent, that’s basketball, but the Owls would probably tell you they’ve left points on the court they should have knocked down.
If Rice can make that strong version of itself the floor. They’re going to be really hard to beat. They don’t need to be the team that smacked Vermont every day — although that’s always within the range of outcomes. They need to be the team that has less off days and consistently does the little things well. And then they get to add Malia Fisher back to the mix in the coming weeks.
That’s the recipe for success this season.
