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Rice Women’s Basketball storms past Charlotte on Senior Day

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Rice women’s basketball never trailed on Senior Day, leading wire-to-wire in a convincing victory over Charlotte at home.

There wasn’t a hint of distraction that lingered from Senior Day festivities for Rice Women’s Basketball at home against Charlotte on Saturday. The Owls scored first, scored often and never trailed on their way to their third straight win in conference play.

Destiny Jackson opened the scoring with a layup, two of just four points on the day, which showcased the Owls’ defense as much, if not more so, than their scoring ability. Rice held Charlotte to just 20 points in the first half on 32 percent shooting from the floor. The 49ers couldn’t get anything going on offense until the third quarter after the Owls had taken a 21-point lead.

Charlotte’s most concentrated run came following the final media timeout of the game. They reeled off eight straight points, but it was only good enough to trim an 18-point deficit to a 10-point hole. Rice was able to regain its footing and close the game out with relative ease.

Even when accounting for the minor fourth-quarter slump, head coach Lindsay Edmonds was proud of her team’s ability to finish and how well the program has played over the lat few weeks. “We’re really close,” Edmonds said, referring to playing their best basketball down the stretch. “We’re clicking on a lot of cylinders. Our defense has stepped up. Our offense is scoring the ball really at a really high clip. I’m excited about where we’re at, but we can keep pushing to get better.”

The victory essentially clinches a first round bye in the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls can improve their seeding next weekend in a two-game road finale against FAU and FIU, respectively.

Final Box | Rice 64 – Charlotte 52

Key takeaway | For the seniors with the future

India Bellamy and Ashlee Austin have been core producers for Rice Women’s Basketball over the last few weeks. Each finished with a double-digit scoring effort on Saturday, but neither led the team. That honor went to freshman Shelby Hayes, who stole the show on Senior Day with her first career double-double.

“Shelby was awesome. She came in and gave us a spark off the bench,” Edmonds said. “She was big time on offensive rebounds. She put the ball in the basket. Shelby is just someone that does whatever it takes to make the team better and I just think that she got rewarded tonight and I’m so proud of her.”

Hayes came off the bench in relief of Bellamy, who ran into some early foul trouble, and quickly made her presence felt. Hayes scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, including a staggering 10 offensive boards. It was an impressive performance and served as a reminder that the up-and-coming wave of Owls has plenty to bring to the table, too.

Up Next: at FAU – Thursday, Mar. 2 at 6:00 p.m.

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Rice Women’s Basketball hangs on to beat UAB

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Rice women’s basketball built a huge lead against UAB and held on, weathering a late rally from the Blazers to secure the win at home.

Playing without Malia Fisher once again, Rice women’s basketball was a bit slow out of the gates on Thursday night against UAB, falling behind 12-4 before things started clicking on both sides of the court. India Bellamy and Katelyn Crosthwait would revive the offense, scoring 13 of the Owls’ 15 points and 23 of their first 34.

It was the Owls’ defense that made the defense in the second quarter, holding the Blazers to just seven points in the frame. UAB shot 11 percent in the quarter, turned the ball over four times and was outscored by 12, further cemented by a defensive stand at the buzzer to enable Rice to maintain a nine-point lead, their largest of the game to that point.  It would grow from there, but the game wouldn’t end as comfortably as the Owls might have hoped.

Rice led by 17 at the conclusion of the third quarter. By the time the clock had ticked down below two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Rice lead was just three points. UAB outscored Rice 22-10 in the last quarter, but couldn’t get any of their potential game-tying threes to fall before Destiny Jackson hit a jumper to push the Rice lead back to two possessions in the final seconds and Ashlee Austin secured one more rebound to secure the win.

The victory keeps Rice (10-7) in the running for a first round bye in the conference tournament with a multi-game lead over North Texas (8-10) and three regular season games remaining.

Final Box | Rice 63 – UAB 58

Key takeaway | Depth matters

Last season, Rice women’s basketball manufactured an incredible late-season run on the backs of six or seven healthy players. Two of the pillars of that successful run were Malia Fisher and Ashlee Austin. That tandem hasn’t seen meaningful time on the court at the same time since February 4. The Owls are 4-1 since then, missing Austin for two games by coach’s decision and Fisher for three because of injury.

India Bellamy has stepped up in a big way, including a career day last Saturday against Western Kentucky, but it has truly been a collective effort from a host of Owls to maintain their momentum despite not playing at full strength.

“The ones that are stepping on the court and playing minutes, they’re playing a lot of minutes, but they’re getting the job done,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. The depth is the reason we’ve been able to win some games this year that we wouldn’t have won last year. I like our depth. I like the versatility that we have. I think a lot of people can step up and do great things for us.”

Up Next: vs Charlotte – Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball blasted by UAB Blazers in Birmingham

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Rice basketball was blasted by the UAB Blazers for the second time this season, falling in Birmingham in a game that was all but over at halftime.

Everything seemed in normal order on Thursday evening when Ty Brewer opened the scoring for UAB with a jumper to put Rice Basketball behind 2-0 in the opening minute. Rice would answer, twice, going ahead 4-2. The Blazers would go on a run from there, but even when KJ Buffen hit a three leading into the first media timeout to put UAB up 15-4, things didn’t feel out of control. That would change quickly, though.

UAB would grow their lead to 21 points before Rice would score again. The Owls’ swipes soon seemed to be little more than paper cuts against the Blazers’ impervious defense and aggressive counterattack. Following a Quincy Olivari three to bring Rice back within 18 points, UAB would deliver another back-breaking rally, outscoring Rice 21-2 over the next stretch, taking a 50-13 lead late in the first half, ending with a 55-24 halftime advantage.

Unsurprisingly, Rice basketball was unable to climb out of the 27-point halftime hole, falling on the road in decisive fashion. Next, they’ll travel to Charlotte in a game the Owls must win if they hope to hold off the 49ers in the race for the final first-round bye.

Final Box | UAB 84 – Rice 57

Key takeaway | The duality of the Owl

For better or worse, Rice basketball seems to have settled into an exhausting back-and-forth between one of two styles of game. On some days, Rice is locked in, they rally to a decent lead, then try their best to hold on in the final minutes. In the others, they’re blasted out of the gates, fall behind by a considerable amount and are realistically out of the game before the second half gets underway.

The latter is where Rice found itself on Thursday night. After posting a quiet 4-2 lead, UAB ripped off a 25-1 run and that was that. It was an off night and Rice had no answer, at least not until the game was well past out of reach. This isn’t a new development with this team and they’re running out of time to find a solution. The conference tournament will be here soon and there will be no more grace given for off days. It’ll be win or go home.

Up Next: at Charlotte – Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 p.m.

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Rice Baseball 2023: Owls edge SHSU at home

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Rice Baseball posted an impressive low-scoring win against Sam Houston on Wednesday, silencing a powerful Sam Houston offense at Reckling Park.

Connor Walsh took advantage of his promotion to the top of the lineup on Wednesday evening, lifting a 2-1 pitch to left center and racing around the infield for a leadoff triple. He came in to score two batters later, courtesy of a single to right field by Jack Riedel, giving Rice an early 1-0 lead.

Last Time Out : Rice Baseball steals finale in series loss to Louisiana

That 1-0 lead would hold for some time thanks to some fantastic pitching performances from the Rice side. Mauricio Rodriguez got the start and went 3.1 innings of scoreless action, striking out three while allowing three hits and no walks. Krishna Raj came in to relieve him in the fourth, finishing that frame and the next inning without allowing a run. He would give way to JD McCracken, who worked around a double to keep Sam Houston off the board in the sixth.

McCracken had more magic in store in the seventh. After he overthrew first base and allowed the first SHSU hitter to reach via error he would come back and gun that same runner down at the plate two batters later. Then, after loading the bases on a single and hit-by-pitch, he would escape again, coaxing a soft groundout to second.

Rice was finally able to exhale ever so slightly when Guy Garibay blasted this opposite-field home run in the eighth, putting the home team up 3-0. Sam Houston would get their only run in the ninth inning, but Garibay’s cushion would be enough to keep Rice ahead.

What it means | Pitchers not named Smith

Parker Smith delivered a quality start on Friday night against Louisiana. The Owls’ No. 1 arm had a No.1 type performance, far and away the biggest pitching performance the Owls had on opening weekend. Smith isn’t infallible. He will have some rough outings, everyone does. But what’s most important for Rice baseball right now is to find the guys *not* named Parker Smith who can deliver quality outings.

Names to Know : Under the radar Rice Baseball players for the 2023 season

They might have found some answers on Wednesday night. Rodriguez, Raj and McCracken were all excellent in relief, bouncing back from lesser performances on opening weekend with a strong showing in the midweek game. These were three of the more high-profile transfers added to the roster this season. They’ve been penciled in as key contributors for months now. Seeing them live up to the billing was important, for them personally and the coaching staff.

To do what they did against Sam Houston was particularly impressive. The Bearkats had just put up 43 runs in their last 16 innings. They scored once in nine innings against Rice, and neither Smith nor ace reliever Matthew Linskey threw a pitch.

ON DECK | at Stanford (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball works through opening weekend jitters in series loss to Louisiana

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Rice Baseball worked through some early season growing pains against Louisiana, salvaging the Sunday finale and learning a lot along the way.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses the series 2-1

Rice baseball came tantalizingly close to a win on Opening Day, but couldn’t hold on late against Louisiana, who pushed their winning streak over Rice to 11 games with a second win on Saturday. The Owls finally got their footing on Sunday, rallying from a 5-0 deficit to take the finale and build some momentum as they head into their first midweek contest against Sam Houston. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. The new kids are alright

Improving the roster was one of the top priorities for head coach Jose Cruz Jr. this offseason and there was plenty of anticipation when those fresh faces finally got the chance to step onto the diamond this weekend. It didn’t take long for several of them to impress in their early action.

On opening night, three hitters made their Rice debut (Max Johnson, Drew Holderbach and Ben Royo) and all three contributed to the go-ahead two-run rally in the sixth. Holderbach singled. Royo drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Johnson walked, loading the bases for the go-ahead walk a batter later.

More: Expectations rise for Rice Baseball, Cruz Jr. in Year 2

Immediately afterward, newcomer Krisha Raj struck out the side in the top of the seventh, his Rice debut. Raj wasn’t perfect — he surrendered the go-ahead run in the next inning — but the collection of newcomers, on the whole, was positive.

On Saturday Freshman catcher Paul Smith walked four times and collected his first collegiate RBI on Saturday. Then Holderbach found his groove on Sunday, mashing a go-ahead home run, the Owls’ first longball of the season.

2. Clutch hitting remains key

Without disclosing which games were which, here are the Owls’ outputs with runners in scoring position in each of the three games this weekend: 5-for-12 (.417), 1-for-7 (.143), 0-for-10 (.000).  Guess which game the Owls won?

One stat does not a game make, but the Owls’ lack of timely hitting in the first two contests (.000 on Friday and .143 on Saturday) made it hard to win, even with their solid pitching performance on opening day and a combined 17 walks issued to them in those first two contests. There were a lot of base runners, but not nearly enough runs.

“I’m happy for them because now it’s like a relief for the guys to be able to break through with bases loaded and guys on base,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said. “Hopefully moving forward they know they can do it and we get more of it.”

Getting 12 runs a game is a luxury few teams have. Expecting that on a daily basis would be pushing it, but getting past the four-run mark is going to have to be something Rice finds a way to do consistently if they’re going to find ways to win more than once on any given weekend.

3. Pitching depth goes under the microscope again

It was a mixed bag on the mound for Rice baseball this weekend. The first tip of the cap goes to Parker Smith for a quality start on Friday night, far surpassing the underwhelming performances from the starters on Saturday and Sunday. Cruz Jr will likely give both guys another shot or two on the weekend before making changes, but it’s safe to say neither Justin Long nor JD McCracken was thrilled with their less-than-two-inning outings.

As for the relief corps, Matthew Linskey remains the gold standard, but Rice got strong showings from Garrett Zaskoda, Blake Brogdon and a few others. Freshman Ryland Urbanczyk had an encouraging debut as did Texas Tech transfer Tyler Hamilton.

The bullpen might have actually been more effective than a cursory look might convey. On Saturday and Sunday combined, Rice relievers were charged with nine runs in 15 innings, an ERA of 5.40. That’s quite the contrast from the starters on those days who gave up 10 runs in 3.0 innings, an ERA of 30.00.

While 5.40 from the pen might not quite be good enough, it’s certainly good enough to keep you in most games, provide your starter went a reasonable distance and pitched well enough. Nevertheless, there’s a lot more work that’s needed to be done here before Rice feels confident in who they’re going to deploy in those key situations.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Louisiana 5 – Rice 4

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Guy Garibay reached base and Manny Gazra doubled him home. That proved to be one of only a handful of key two-out hits on the night for the Owls, who got on base plenty but watched the big hit evade their grasp.

Louisiana would break through with a three-spot against Rice starter Parker smith in the third, who delivered a quality start with that lone hiccup interspersed. A two-run homerun off reliever Krishna Raj was the only other blemish against the Owls’ pitching staff, but the lack of clutch hitting allowed that to be enough. Rice walked eight times but stranded 11 in a close Friday night loss.

SATURDAY | Louisiana 11 – Rice 2

Converted catcher Justin Long drew the Saturday start for Rice baseball and things did not go well in his her outing on the other side of the battery. Long was tattooed for six runs (five earned) in 1.2 innings pitched, walking two, hitting two and allowing three hits. Louisiana would nickel and dime the relief corps for five more runs over the next 7.1 innings, but the initial onslaught proved to be too much.

Rice was held to nine hits and two runs with Jack Riedel and designated hitter Paul Smith earning the lone RBIs for the home team. Again, Rice had base runners, walking nine times. The Owls just could not drive them in going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-20 with runners on at all.

SUNDAY | Rice 12 – Louisiana 8

For the second straight day, Rice baseball was making a pitching change before the sixth out was recorded. Tennessee transfer JD McCracken was roughed up with a five-spot in the second inning, giving way to Garrett Zaskoda. He was able to stabilize things, and with a little run support, enabled the home team to creep back into the game.

Zaskoda handed the baton to Matthew Linskey, who was nothing short of phenomenal, striking out eight in 2.2 innings. Then, with the game tied, Drew Holderbach blasted the go-ahead home run in the fifth. Louisiana would draw the score level again before Rice put a four-spot up in the eighth inning, connecting on multiple hits with runners in scoring position, setting the stage for Blake Brogdon to close out the game on the mound in the ninth.

ON DECK | vs Sam Houston (Wed),  at Stanford (Fri-Sun)

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