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Malia Fisher returns, Rice Women’s Basketball tops Utah Tech

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Rice Women’s Basketball has won four in a row at home, defeating Utah Tech in the Owls first game back from Cancun.

Utah Tech hit their first shot of the night, a three-pointer to open the game. It was all Rice women’s basketball the rest of the way. The Owls took the lead for good with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter on a layup from Sussy Ngulefac and never looked back.

Rice led by eight after the first quarter and grew its advantage to 14 by halftime. Utah Tech pushed back in the third, cutting the deficit to eight, but two well-timed baskets from Malia Fisher got the Owls’ advantage back to double-digits.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

In the fourth quarter, Utah Tech rallied once more, getting within six. Who else, but Fisher arrived with a three to claw back some breathing room down the stretch? As has been the case with this team all season, a large never truly felt completely safe, but with Fisher back on the court, Rice was able to weather the comeback much more saliently, hanging on to win at home.

Final Box | Rice 82, Utah Tech 71

What They’re Saying

I’m really glad to be back at home and be back in front of our fans and get a win. Wins are hard to come by, and I’m grateful to get a win. I think our group has so much potential, and I think we can be really, really great. I think we showed that in spurts tonight, and we are going to continue to challenge them to show a full 40 minutes and see how special we can truly be. We’re still growing as a team and trying to figure that piece out. I thought there were a lot of really good performances, in particular by [Malia and Hailey] and also by Sussy. There are definitely some good highlights and some really good stats out there; I just would have liked to have seen us just finish out the game a little bit better. – Rice Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Malia’s back!

By far the most significant development of this game wasn’t the score, but rather the return of Malia Fisher to the court. Fisher had yet to appear in a game for the Owls so far this season after suffering a wrist injury in the offseason. The hope was always to have her back by conference play.

Fisher did not start, but saw 19 minutes of court time on Wednesday, leading all scorers with 17 points and collecting six rebounds. The cameo certainly points towards a closer-to-100-percent version of the Owls’ preseason all-conference player by the time AAC play arrives on December 29. That might just be the best Christmas gift this program could have asked for.

Up Next: at Louisiana (Sat, 12/7)

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Rice Basketball goes 2-1 at Nassau Championship

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Rice Basketball went 2-1 in their three-game set at the Nassau Championship in the Bahamas, falling to Hofstra before beating Arkansas State and Iona.

Hofstra 68, Rice 63

The Story

Hofstra jumped out to an early 18-9 lead, staying at least a couple of buckets ahead of Rice for the duration of the first half. It was in the second frame that Rice made its run, forcing one of 11 lead changes in the contest which eventually went to overtime which was also tied with a minute remaining in that period. Hofstra would score the final five points to hold on in a hard-fought contest.

Rice 75, Arkansas State 67

The Story

Arkansas State got on the board first and maintained a narrow advantage over Rice throughout much of the first half before a Jacob Dar three, his first as an Owl, put Rice in front going into halftime. Arkansas State would retake the lead early in the second half on a 7-0 run, but clutch free throw shooting — the Owls had a season-high 39 foul shots — and strong defense helped propel Rice back in front for good.

Rice 70, Iona 66

The Story

The largest lead for either side in this game was seven. Despite those tight margins, Rice felt like it had every chance to run away with the game early. Two 5-0 runs a 6-0 run and a 7-0 run in the first half were mitigated by Rice turnovers and a lackluster day on the boards. Iona continued to fight back, getting with one point with 2:23 to play. Rice scored six of the final nine points of the game, putting things away with four free throws from Trae Broadnax in the final seconds.

What We Learned

For those who might have pushed it out of their minds, Rice basketball was picked to finish dead last in the American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. So much about the program was unknown given the coaching change and the reworked roster.

Rice played well in their early slate, starting the season 6-1, falling only to Florida State (Kenpom 58). This week’s Nassau Championship offered another measuring stick — three games against programs all picked to finish in the top four in their respective leagues. The Owls passed with high marks.

Arkansas State (116) was the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt. Rice beat them. The also beat Iona (252), picked third in the MAAC and took Hofstra (163), a top four pick in the CAA, to overtime. At the very least, the Owls proved they belong in that top 150ish conversation. Indeed, they check in at 164 in Kenpom after the conclusion of the tournament.

By Kenpom, Rice ranks ninth in the AAC. They’re a far cry from the top of the ladder — Memphis (31) and North Texas (66) are clearly in a different class right now — but they’re squarely in the mix. Roughly one month into Rob Lanier’s first season on campus, it’s hard to ask for much more than this.

“We just played with some resolve and found a way to win a game,” Lanier said following the Arkansas State win. “We played with a level of desperation, and I’m proud of the guys that we were able to overcome that.”

The team is playing cohesively with a clear defensive identity. The offense has shown flashes. The free throw struggles of the early portions of the season weren’t a problem in clutch moments in the Bahamas. And we still haven’t seen this team truly turn in a dominant offensive performance which the sum of these parts suggest is coming, at some point.

A good week or two might have been easier to right off. We’ve reached the one month mark of consistent quality basketball from Lanier’s bunch. This team looks to have some staying power. And with conference play looming, it’s reasonable to continue adjusting those preseason expectations ever so slightly upward as the season presses onward.

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Rice Women’s Basketball splits at Cancun Challenge

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Rice Women’s basketball split their two-game set at the Cancun Challenge, falling to BYU in the opener before blasting Vermont in the second game.

BYU 63, Rice 51

The Story

Rice got off to a strong start, opening up a 12-5 first quarter lead as BYU struggled to find its footing. The Cougars woke up and finished the half on a 26-10 run, opening up a gap the Owls would be unable to close. BYU would lead by as many as 17 points, comfortably holding on to the lead with the exception of a brief third quarter rally from Rice to get back within seven.

Rice 79, Vermont 57

The Story

Vermont jumped out to an early lead in this one but it was the Owls’ turn to turn up the intensity on offense. Rice rallied from a five-point first quarter deficit to take a six point lead at half. Then they opened the floodgates, exploding for a 16-0 run in the third quarter to bury the Catamounts. The Owls led by as many as 28 points, cruising to a big win to close out their trip to Cancun.

What We Learned

It was truly a tale of two games. In the opener against BYU, Rice women’s basketball endured their worst shooting performance of the season. They followed it up with their best shooting day from the floor. The contrast between these two games serves as a fitting reminder of the team’s volatility and the growth needed for the Owls to reach the level of a premier program.

At their best, Rice women’s basketball is capable of competing with many top teams. The key challenge now is finding consistency and building on those strong performances. While this may seem like nitpicking, it’s the standard that has been set by head coach Lindsay Edmonds, who continues to hold her program to high expectations.

“I’ve known all season that we were capable of hitting the three at a very high volume and just been waiting for it to happen,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said following the Vermont win. “For us to be able to come out here tonight after what happened last night and have the focus to put the ball in the hole, probably when we needed it the most.”

Last year’s AAC Tournament run was proof the version of the Owls that showed up against Vermont could show up four days in a row. The next step might be finding the version of this team that played against Houston and being that team every single day. Rice didn’t shoot the lights out in that game, but they played well. The defense was consistent and strong.

The defense has been solid. The shooting has ebbed and flowed. To some extent, that’s basketball, but the Owls would probably tell you they’ve left points on the court they should have knocked down.

If Rice can make that strong version of itself the floor. They’re going to be really hard to beat. They don’t need to be the team that smacked Vermont every day — although that’s always within the range of outcomes. They need to be the team that has less off days and consistently does the little things well. And then they get to add Malia Fisher back to the mix in the coming weeks.

That’s the recipe for success this season.

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Rice Basketball escapes Sharp Gym with win over HCU

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Rice Basketball struggled from the start, overcoming poor possessions and bad breaks to escape with the victory over Houston Christian on Friday.

Days removed from a dominant road win over Louisiana, it took Rice basketball some time to recover from some sort of post-win funk. Rice turned the ball over six times in the first six minutes against Houston Christian, spotting the hosting Huskies an eight point lead.

The Owls entered this game with an 14-3 all-time record in the series and certainly didn’t expect to find themselves trailing by such a sizable margin so quickly. Spotting the Huskies 10 points off turnovers in the first half alone played a significant role in that deficit. Fortunately Rice was able to regroup quickly and take better care of the basketball, committing just two turnovers in the remainder of the half while turning that deficit into a 29-29 tie at the break.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The grimy slugfest endured into the second half. Alem Huseinovic was bound to the bench with foul trouble, picking up his third at the start of the half and a fourth before the 13th minute. Houston Christian had three players with three fouls to that point, but was able to skirt serious foul trouble.

It didn’t seem to matter who was on the court next, though. HCU went on a 16-3 run as Rice went cold from the floor, making one of six shots with four more turnovers.

With their backs against the wall, Rice found a way. Trae Broadnax spurred the team back from the brink. Rice would go on to outscore HCU 25-11 in the final 12 minutes, knocking down their free throws and procuring a final, excellent defensive possession in the clutch to sneak out of Sharp Gym with a win.

Final Box | Rice 61, Houston Christian 58

Key takeaway | Turnover troubles

Perhaps no moment summed up this contest better than the sequence following a Rice timeout taken with 12:43 to play in the second half, a timeout that was called in response to sloppy play which put Rice in its second eigh-point deficit of the evening.

Out of that stoppage Rice turned the ball over. Houston Christian scooped it up and went the other way, laying it up for two points plus the foul. Rice finished this game with 16 turnovers. Houston Christian had 4 The Owls’ dominant 46 to 25 edge on the boards was rendered moot by their inability to do anything with the basketball in their hands.

Fortunately for Rice, they made their free throws tonight and were able to maintain their defensive intensity while they toiled on the opposite end of the court. These are the kind of games that aren’t fun to review in the film room, but they’re much easier to work through when you find a way to come out of top.

Up Next: Nassau Championship vs Hofstra (Fri, Nov. 29), vs Arkansas State (Sat, Nov. 30), vs Iona (Sun, Dec. 1)

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Rice Women’s basketball comes up short at Gonzaga

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Rice Women’s Basketball traded blows with Gonzaga for four quarters before running out of steam late, falling on the road.

Emily Klaczek and Hailey Adams were determined that Rice women’s basketball would get off on the right foot in their first foray out from the confines of Tudor Fieldhouse. Klazcek got things started with seven first quarter points including a three-pointer to get the Owls back within one-score after a hot start from Gonzaga. Adams had seven in the frame too, becoming the driving force for the team in the early goings.

Adams would lead all scorers in the first half with 13 points, already a season-high. She added six boards along the way, all before the halftime buzzer. Her final basket of the half put Rice ahead of Gonzaga for the first time with 2:28 to go in the second quarter. Gonzaga would take a one-point lead into the half, but thanks to that tandem of Klaczek and Adams, the game was on.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The lead would exchange hands seven times in the third quarter. Neither side led by more than two possessions and the game was tied twice but it was the visiting Owls in front when the fourth quarter commenced.

Back and forth they went with the lead changing 12 times before the final buzzer sounded and it the outcome of the game hung in the balance until the final minutes. The teams were tied at 64 points apiece with 2:24 to play in the fourth quarter. That’s when Rice missed a few key shots and Gonzaga rolled to a crushing 10-0 run.

The final margin would be just three, representative of a game that truly went down to the wire. Unfortunately for the Owls, they came down on the wrong side.

Final Box | Gonzaga 72, Rice 69

Key takeaway | Missed opportunity

Gonzaga was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference in the preseason polls. When it comes to building a non-conference resume for a potential NCAA bid, these are the kinds of games you need to win. The Owls came up short.

Malia Fisher still has yet to play this season. Gonzaga had just recently had a streak of 36 consecutive home victories ended last week by Cal. This won’t be an ugly when it comes time for resume comparisons in March, but it’s a missed opportunity all the same.

Over the course of their non-conference slate thus far this team has proven they can hang with anyone. That’s undeniable. But there are only so many opportunities left before AAC play arrives. That sets up an important week ahead in Cancun.

Up Next: vs BYU (Thr. 11/28), vs Vermont (Fri. 11/29)

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