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Rice Women’s Basketball rallies past ACU at home

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Rice women’s basketball rallies in the second half to take down Abilene Christian, opening the season 2-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Maya Bokunewicz got the scoring going with a jumper, but that proved to be just the first points in another back-and-forth affair at Tudor Fieldhouse. There were five ties in the first quarter and three more in the third, with the vast majority of the first half being played within a four-point margin to either side.

Jazzy Owens-Barnett gave Rice a six-point lead on the final shot of the first quarter, but that advantage was quickly erased in the first minute or so of the second frame. ACU then closed that quarter out on a run of their own, taking a seven-point advantage into halftime courtesy of back-to-back threes.

Down at halftime, the Owls resolved to keep fighting. “We challenged them and I thought they stepped up and showed who they can really be in that third quarter,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

Rice went on the offensive in the third quarter, quickly erasing the halftime deficit and creating a new lead of their own. The Owls outscored ACU 24-11 in the third with Ashlee Austin leading the way. Up by six entering the final quarter, Rice was able to withstand ACU’s final push and secure their second-straight win to open the season.

“I thought we showed up a little unfocused and not ready and our defense showed that,” Edmonds said after the final buzzer. “And then I think the second half I think we showed up and showed how we can be the defensive team that we can be. We rebounded the basketball and because of our defense and our rebounding we were able to create easier offensive opportunities for us.”

Five Owls reached double-digits, Austin’s 10 points coming entirely in the second half. The team shot 50 percent from the floor after halftime, turning a seven-point deficit into a 16 point victory.

Player Spotlight | Ashlee Austin

This season Rice women’s basketball boasts one of the deepest rosters it has had in some time. Given that influx of young talent, coach Edmonds has been able to spread the ball around, getting contributions from several different players early in the season.

On Sunday though, trailing by seven at half to ACU, Rice needed someone to take charge and seize control. As she’s done time and time again, Ashlee Austin rose to the occasion.

“Our main message coming out of halftime was just to be us,” Austin said. “Especially as a senior, I personally felt a need to be as perfect as possible and try and do everything I can.”

Austin finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, a modest line by her standards, but it was when that production came that mattered most. Austin tallied eight of those points and four of those rebounds in the third quarter, leading the comeback charge and putting the Owls ahead for good.

Final Box | Rice 85 – ACU 69

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball won’t be back in Tudor Fieldhouse until early December, playing their next four games away from home. That road trip begins on Wednesday at Saint Mary’s — a late tip scheduled for 10:00 p.m. CT — then at Pacific on Friday. Both games will be streamed on WCC Sports.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 11 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 11.

Team Week 11 Result Up Next
Charlotte at MTSU L, 24-14 vs LA Tech
FAU at FIU W, 52-7 at MTSU
FIU vs FAU L, 52-7 at UTEP
LA Tech at UTSA L, 51-7 at Charlotte
MTSU vs Charlotte W, 24-14 vs FAU
North Texas at UAB L, 41-21 — OFF —
Rice at WKU L, 45-10 vs UTSA
UAB vs North Texas W, 41-21 at LSU
UTEP — OFF —  — vs FIU
UTSA vs LA Tech W, 51-7 at Rice
WKU vs Rice W, 45-10 at Auburn

Notable Week 11 results – Standings

Owls implode

Rice turned the ball over a staggering six times in their road loss to Western Kentucky. The Owls controlled the ball and reached the redzone on their first two possession, but costly interceptions sent them into a spiral from which they were never able to recover.

Shula bowl statement

FAU has now won six consecutive Shula Bowl rivalry games against FIU, this one coming at a key juncture for head coach Willie Taggart, who had been facing questions regarding his job security in recent weeks. The Owls aren’t out of the woods just yet, but this win puts them within reach of a bowl berth, a must for Taggart this season.

No quarterback, no problem

Middle Tennessee was without quarterback Chase Cunningham against Charlotte on Saturday. At times, that seemed to matter, but in the end, the Blue Raiders managed to take care of business. The 49ers led 14-7 at halftime but were shut out after halftime as Nick Vattiato led three scoring drives to secure the win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

One more shot

The preseason rumors circulating around Auburn’s expected coaching change have come to fruition. Despite a win over a historically bad Texas A&M team, the Tigers aren’t infallible and Western Kentucky has plenty of firepower to work with. If Conference USA is going to pull a P5 upset, this might be the one.

“Elimination” game

UTEP and FIU are running out of time. Both programs enter this coming weekend’s matchup with 4-6 records. The Panthers might be slightly ahead of schedule, making good progress in Year 1 under head coach Mike McIntyre. UTEP had high expectations in Year 5 of Dana Dimel. Neither program can clinch a bowl berth with a win, but a loss would drop them to seven losses and no postseason opportunity.

Who’s number two?

UTSA has a two-game lead plus some tiebreakers over the rest of the conference. They’ve had a few close calls but so far, nobody has been able to unseat the defending champs. The Roadrunners will be playing in the conference championship game. For now, they need to stay healthy and figure out who they’ll be matching up with in a few weeks.

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Rice Football 2022: WKU Insider gives his take on the Hilltoppers

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Rice Football hits the road this week to square off with Western Kentucky. Hilltoppers’ insider Steven Moffett fills us in on what to expect in this game.

Hilltoppers’ insider Steven Moffett was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and WKU. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Women’s Basketball outlasts SFA to win season opener

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It took all four quarters, but Rice women’s basketball was able to outlast SFA in their season opener with superior depth and Malia Fisher’s big game.

On Monday night, Rice women’s basketball was waiting for their season to begin. Meanwhile SFA, the Owls’ first opponent, was notching a season-opening victory over fellow C-USA member UTSA. That was notice enough for the Owls to be ready to battle with the Lady Lumberjacks from tip, and that’s exactly how things transpired at Tudor Fieldhouse on Thursday.

Rice came out ready, scoring eight quick points before SFA was able to battle back and get on the board. From there the game was tied at 10, tied at 12 and tied at 20, all before the first quarter was through. The SFA press made Rice work for every possession.

Malia Fisher hit a floater at the buzzer to close out the first quarter to give Rice some breathing room. The Owls followed with a composed second quarter, slightly lengthening that one-possession lead to a six-point halftime advantage.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

The Owls knocked down several foul shots in the process. The lead might have been longer had they been more effective from the charity stripe, converting just 10-of-18 (56 percent) from the line in the first half and 25-of-35 (71 percent) free throws in the game, thanks to a perfect 11-of-11 day at the line from Destiny Jackson.

It was the freshmen who provided the second-half spark. Already buoyed by a strong shooting performance from distance by Dominque Ennis, the Owls got big baskets from Shelby Hayes and Jazzy Owens-Barnett, extending their third-quarter lead to as many as 10 before SFA cut it down to two to start the fourth.

Every time SFA would go on a run, Rice had an answer. And it was usually a different face making the next shot. After working most of last season with eight healthy players, Rice played 10 different players against SFA, eventually outlasting the Lumberjacks thanks to that depth, outscoring SFA 34-19 in bench points.

“That’s a really good basketball team that we just played and they’re gonna win a lot of basketball games,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said in the aftermath. “But I think it just goes to show how talented we are, how deep we are and how good I think we can be this season.”

Player Spotlight | Malia Fisher

It took less than two quarters for Malia Fisher to notch her first double-double of the season and the ninth of her young career. Fisher led Rice and all Conference USA freshmen in double-doubles last season and is already on pace to do so again.

That wasn’t the only milestone Fisher reached on Thursday night. She became the sixth Owl to reach 20 rebounds in a single game, a number she wasn’t even aware she’d reached until after the game.

“I’ll take that every single night,” Edmonds said in jest as a smile beamed across her face, a fitting end to a hard-fought night that ended just like it was supposed to: with a Rice win.

Final Box | Rice 89 – SFA 77

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has one more game at Tudor Fieldhouse before they hit the road for the first time this season. On Sunday, the Owls will host Abilene Christian. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. That game will be streamed on CUSAtv.

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Rice Basketball rolls past Saint Thomas in home opener

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Rice basketball notched their first win of the 2022-2023 season on Thursday night, rolling past Saint Thomas in their home opener.

Rice basketball couldn’t get back on the court soon enough after their season-opening debacle against Pepperdine on Monday. The team that took the court that evening wasn’t hitting shots and had no answer for a team that was. The Owls looked much more resilient in their home opener against Saint Thomas, taking an early lead and holding it for the duration. In 40 minutes of action, Rice never trailed.

Travis Evee got the scoring started with a layup, then got the ball right back with a nice defensive play on the baseline on the ensuing defensive possession. It was one of three turnovers the Owls forced in the first three minutes of play, sparking an early 14-3 run.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

Saint Thomas responded shortly afterward with a 9-0 run of their own, scoring from all three levels as they tested a Rice defense that was briefly without Max Fiedler, who left the game for a brief time but was able to return and started the second half.

Leading by 12 at the break, Rice held serve in the second half. The Owls gradually grew their lead, cycling in a host of players as they secured their first win of the 2022-2023 season on their home court. 11 different players saw action. Quincy Olivari led the team with 12 rebounds and Travis Evee topped the scoring with 27 points.

Between the Pepperdine loss and Thursday’s big win, Rice was able to get a lot of different players on the court, something head coach Scott Pera noted as a big plus in the team’s young season. “Those guys are going to start settling in,” he said. “Hopefully Tuesday night at Middle [Tennessee] won’t be so much a deer-in-the-headlights. We’ll say ‘we know what this is like. We know we need to do. Let’s go.”

Player Spotlight | Travis Evee

While Rice didn’t shoot particularly well from distance as a team on Thursday, Travis Evee was the exception. The junior guard drained seven three-pointers on just 10 attempts, a 70-percent clip from distance. That barrage from downtown was one shy of the school record, eight, matched most recently by Carl Pierre at Marshall last season.

“He was on fire,” Pera said, adding that he left Evee in the game just long enough to get the potential record-tying shot, which missed.

Aside from Evee, the team as a whole shot .368 from three, .250 if you exclude Evee’s contributions. Rice basketball is going to need a lot from Evee this year to get to where they want to go. Thursday served as a not-so-subtle reminder that he’s more than capable of being the sparkplug the Owls need.

Final Box | Rice 85 – St. Thomas 48

Up Next | Full Schedule

In an odd scheduling quirk, Rice basketball actually plays their first conference game in less than a week. The next time they take the court will be on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Middle Tennessee with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. After that, they’re back in Houston to how the Owl Invitational, playing three games next weekend: Fri. (vs Georgia Southern), Sat. (vs Western Michigan) and Sun. (vs HCU)

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