Rice women’s basketball absorbs Tulane’s strong start before rolling to another convincing win to extend their streak to 12 straight victories.
A strong start from Kendall Sneed and Kanija Daniel kept Tulane in the mix in the early goings against Rice women’s basketball, but they proved unable to overcome another suffocating defensive effort from the hosts. The game was tied at 24 after the first half and then the shots stopped falling for the Green Wave.
Rice held Tulane to 13 points or fewer in each of the remaining three quarters. While the Owls’ own offense wasn’t perfect, it was more than enough to surge past a neutralized Tulane attack. Rice built a three-point halftime lead, stretching their advantage to double-digits for the first time in the third quarter. They would seize firm control of the outcome in the final frame.
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Dominque Ennis provided the dagger on a long-range three to go up by 14 with 5:22 to play. Rice made just one field goal after that, but steady free throw shooting from Shelby Hayes was more than enough to maintain a comfortable margin and close out yet another win.
With the victory, Rice women’s basketball improves to 17-3 on the season and remains a perfect 9-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Final Box | Rice 70, Tulane 60
Key takeaway | Suffocating Defense
One of the chief reasons for continued optimism regarding the ceiling of this version of Rice women’s basketball has to be the level defensive intensity this team has played with this season, particularly in this recent stretch against some of the best teams the American Conference has to offer.
On Saturday, Tulane shot 56.3 in the first quarter. The Owls took a deep breath and dropped the hammer, choking out the Tulane scorers for the remainder of the contest. Tulane shot below 30 percent for the remainder of the game.
Right now, Rice women’s basketball is a team that can take your best punch and throw it right back at you. They’re playing well on both sides of the ball, but the defense makes
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