The source for Rice sports news

Rice Women’s Basketball: 2025-2026 Midseason State of the Program

By

Rice Women’s Basketball rebounded from a loss in their opening game to rack up 10 wins before Christmas. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Sitting at 10-3, Rice women’s basketball has had some impressive wins while generally showcasing themselves to be among the best the American Conference has to offer. Those aspirations will be tested when league play begins after the Holiday break. How will the Owls hold up?

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

That’s one of a few pressing questions through the first month and a half of the season. Here’s where the Owls stand at (roughly) the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball: 2025-2026 Midseason State of the Program

By

It’s been a mixed bag for Rice Basketball in their second season under head coach Rob Lanier. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Heading into late December, Rice basketball has completed non-conference play with a 6-7 record, with two wins over non-NCAA teams and some narrow misses against a handful of quality clubs away from home. The Owls have had their moments, but consistency remains a focal point as the calendar turns to January.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Can they take the next step? That’s the crucial question facing this squad as they wrap up non-conference play. Here’s where the Owls stand at (roughly) the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Shooting Can’t Keep Up as Rice Basketball Falls at Pepperdine

By

Rice Basketball was outgunned by a red-hot Pepperdine offense, closing out nonconference play without a single road win.

Cam Carroll opened up the scoring but Rice basketball still found itself playing from behind for most of their contest against Pepperdine on Saturday evening. The Waves took the lead right back from the Owls and held a minor advantage through much of the first half, although there were three more lead changes before the break.

The early minutes of the second half proved to be the Owls’ undoing. Pepperdine opened the period on a 10-4 run, stretching their lead to 13 points and putting Rice on the defensive. It took some time, but the Owls started to find their shooting stroke as they attempted to keep pace with their sharpshooting hosts. Pepperdine shot 49 percent from the field, straining a Rice offense that couldn’t recover from a much slower start.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

A 7-0 run just after the midpoint of the second quarter would briefly get Rice back within single digits, but Pepperdine rallied, keeping the margin right around 10 points for the next several minutes as the clock wound down. It was then that Pepperdine connected on five consecutive three-point attempts, effectively ending any hopes of a Rice comeback.

Rice Basketball falls to 6-7 with the loss. The Owls are 1-5 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Pepperdine 84, Rice 62

Key takeaway | Road Woes

Had things gone differently in Fort Myers at Coconut Hoops, the Owls’ shockingly awful record away from Tudor Fieldhouse would be much easier to swallow. Yes, the quality of competition Rice has played on the road has been stout. Yes, many of those games have remained competitive, even going to overtime. Still, Rice has won one basketball game outside of the city of Houston in six tries.

The American Conference might not be chock full of sure-fire powerhouses as it has been in recent years, but the level of competition will still be rigorous. Half of those games are going to be played away from Tudor Fieldhouse. Plain and simple. Rice basketball has to find a way to win away from home.

Up Next: at Tulsa (Wed, Dec. 31 at 1:00 pm)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball Pushes Past Houston Christian

By

Rice women’s basketball had another down shooting day, but still managed to overcome Houston Christian thanks to a dominant defensive effort.

Shelby Hayes set the tone with 10 first quarter points as Rice women’s basketball found itself in a dogfight with the Houston Christian Huskies on Saturday afternoon. There were six ties and seven lead changes by the 4:27 mark of the second quarter. That was when the home team was finally able to generate some breathing room, going into the break up six points, spurred by back-to-back three pointers from Mylee Guinn.

Houston Christian got back within three points in the opening minutes of the third quarter before Rice seized control for good. The Owls engineered a 15-point run, shutting Houston Christian out for more than six minutes as they built what would prove to be an insurmountable 18-point advantage.

MORE: Rice Football Recruiting — 2025 Winter Transfer Portal Tracker

The teams would trade points in the fourth quarter, but by then Rice had emptied its bench and simply had to squeeze out the last few minutes of clock to secure another home victory. With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 10-3 on the season and 6-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 62, Houston Christian 42

What They’re Saying

What a way to finish December. I am so proud of this group and the focus and intensity that they brought all non-conference. We protected home, we defended and held teams to season lows, and we did a lot of great things that we can build off of going into the new season which is conference play. I am excited for the players and the staff to have a few days to regroup before we get into the grind of the American Conference. – Rice Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Defensive Domination

The Rice women’s basketball offense has garnered much the attention this season as it works to develop the level of consistency it will need to compete at a high level in the American Conference. However, the growing pains on that side of the ball shouldn’t take away from the string of successful outings the defense has put forth over the last several weeks.

Rice held Houston Christian to 28.8 percent shooting from the field and forced the Huskies to commit 21 turnovers. The Owls kept their opponents uncomfortable for 40 minutes, even though their own shots weren’t falling with any sort of consistency. The level of competition is only going to go up from here, but the defense has certainly been a bright spot as the Owls close out nonconference play.

Up Next: at South Florida (Tues. Dec. 30 at 6:00 pm)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2025: Bowl Week Practice Notes 1

By

Rice Football is postseason-bound and will have the vast majority of its starting roster intact for the Armed Forces Bowl. Here’s the latest from the practice field this week.

Finals are winding down, but the Rice football season is starting to ramp back up. After a brief break between official practices, the team returned to the field this week as they began their preparations for the Armed Forces Bowl against Texas State on January 2. The team hopes to make the most of the extra time. Here’s more on the progress they’ve made so far.

Finalizing the Bowl Roster

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts