Rice Women’s Basketball trailed by double-digits in the second half, but found a way to rally back and take down North Texas to stay unbeaten in league play.
In front of a national audience on ESPNU, Rice women’s basketball followed a familiar script, with a subtle flair for the dramatic, in their quest for their 16th consecutive victory. The Owls went toe-to-toe with the visiting Mean Green early, trailing by two points after the first quarter and down five at halftime.
The third quarter has been where Rice has pulled away, but that wasn’t the case against North Texas. The Mean Green opened the frame on a 7-0 run, putting the home team in a 12-point hole. The sizable deficit stayed there for some time and then, trailing by 10 with less than a minute remaining in the quarter, Rice flipped the switch.
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Two free throws from Shelby Hayes were followed by consecutive steals off North Texas inbounds passes. Aniah Alexis converted both for points and just like that, Rice was back within three entering the fourth. Soon after, Alexis put Rice in front for the first time since the midpoint of the first quarter with two more foul shots.
All told, there were six ties and five lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. North Texas had the ball trailing by two points or fewer twice in the final 20 seconds. Victoria Flores and Louann Battiston stripped star Megan Nestor of the ball on the first and forced an errant shot at the buzzer on the second, rallying from a double-digit deficit to secure yet another win and remain perfect in American Conference play.
With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 21-3 on the season, 11-0 in league play and 11-0 in Tudor Fieldhouse. They’ve won 16 games in a row.
Final Box | Rice 70, North Texas 68
Key takeaway | Brutalized on the Boards
North Texas was able to do something on Tuesday night that few teams have managed against Rice women’s basketball this season: they crushed Rice on the boards.
Rice entered the game second in the American Conference in rebounding margin against conference opponents. Still, North Texas outrebounded Rice 45-31, a 14-rebound margin ,which was impossible not to miss when watching this game.
For comparison, the worst rebounding margin for Rice in a game this season was minus seven in a 10-point win over Tulane in late January. The Owls had only been outrebounded by five on four occasions, and they won three of those games.
And despite the physicality North Texas showed, Rice found a way, just like they have every night for 16 games in a row. They absorbed the best punch any team has landed in quite some time and responded with a haymaker of their own.
Up Next: vs Wichita State (Fri. Feb. 13 at 7:00 pm)