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Big Fourth Quarter Propels Rice Women’s Basketball ast SHSU

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Rice women’s basketball battled through three close quarters before blowing the game open with a big fourth quarter run to take down Sam Houston at home.

Sam Houston entered their Wednesday night game with Rice women’s basketball 5-1, but largely untested to this point. The Owls were quickly forced to reckon with the quality of their opponent, falling behind 5-0 after the opening tip. Rice would close out the first quarter trailing by six, not truly finding their offensive rhythm until the midpoint of the second quarter.

A three from Louann Battiston jump started a five-minute rally in which the Owls outscored the Bearkats 14-4, turning a seven-point deficit into a five-point lead. Sam Houston would cut the gap to three just before halftime.

MORE: Scott Abell Inks Tremendous 2026 Rice Football Recruiting Class

The lead flipped four times in the third quarter. Then, with Rice leading by just one point in the opening minute of the final frame, the Owls’ deep shooting finally started to connect. The Owls hit more three pointers in the fourth quarter (five) than they did in the first three quarters, turning a razor-thin contest into one with a 15-point cushion in the final minute.

With the win, Rice women’s basketball improves to 6-3 on the season and 3-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 66, SHSU 50

What They’re Saying

Key takeaway | Finding that Fourth Quarter

The Owls’ fourth quarter box score was immaculate. Rice women’s basketball shot 64 percent from the field, out-rebounded Sam Houston 11-4 and had three steals and two blocks. It was one of the best 10 minute stanzas this team has played all season.

“That fourth quarter outing was what I expect from my team,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. “I’m excited to see that team show up more.”

When asked how Edmonds plans to get her team to replicate that performance, Edmonds pointed toward the growth her team has experienced so far this season and how much more poised they’re playing compared to this time last year.

“I don’t expect us to be, right now, as good as we’re going to be in March. We’re going to continue to get better. It’s their job to continue to get better. It’s my job to continue to get us better. And we will,” Edmonds said. “We will continue working on it. Every day I feel like we’ve done something better. I’m proud of that growth. I’m proud of where we’re at.”

Up Next: vs UNLV (Sat. Dec. 6 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Drops Nailbiter to UCF

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Rice women’s basketball dropped a nailbiter to UCF in the Owls’ final game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. closing out the week 2-1.

The final Rice women’s basketball game at the Puerto Rico Shootout went down to the wire with the resilient Owls trailing for a large portion of the contest, but never backing allowing themselves to fall out of striking distance.

Aniah Alexis led all scorers with nine first-half points, keeping the margin close. She sank four free throws in the middle of the second quarter to cull a nine-point deficit and get the Owls back within four points at halftime.

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That basket or two deficit stretched into the fourth quarter before Rice mounted a final offensive. A three from Dominque Ennis and subsequent jumper from Victoria Flores gave the Owls their first lead since the early moments of the second quarter. Knights’ guard Leah Harmon would answer with seven straight points of her own, surviving a late three from Shelby Hayes to edge the Owls by one.

Rice women’s basketball falls to 5-3 on the season and 3-3 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | UCF 57, Rice 56

Key takeaway | We Have a Hayes

The emergence of Shelby Hayes in Puerto Rico was by far the most significant happening for Rice women’s basketball this week. The Owls have needed another key piece to rely on given their offseason attrition. Hayes came through in a big way in the comeback against Illinois State and Friday’s battle with UCF.

Hayes has scored in double figures in five of her last six games, the lone exception being the Morgan State blowout where her services weren’t required because of the lopsided score and she only played 17 minutes. She’s become a versatile, go-to piece in the offense that should continue to pay dividends for the Owls as the season progresses.

Up Next: vs Sam Houston (Wed. Dec. 3 at 5:30 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Routs Morgan State

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Rice women’s basketball raced past Morgan State on Thanksgiving Day, moving to 2-0 at the Puerto Rico Shootout.

Morgan State scored the first points, but didn’t offer much of a fight for the final 39 minutes of their Thanksgiving Day contest with Rice Women’s Basketball at the Puerto Rico Shootout. The Owls responded to that opening basket with a thunderous 18-3 run to finish the quarter, putting the game out of reach with haste.

The teams played a more even game across the next two quarters. A 13-point lead after the first quarter still grew, but reached only 17 points at halftime and stayed at that margin entering the fourth quarter. It was then at that the Owls started to pull away in earnest.

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Rice began the final period on a 10-1 run, eventually expanding their edge to as many as 32 points on a layup from Jill Twiehaus in the final minute. Morgan State would add a free throw to cull the final margin by a point, but the magnitude of the victory was unchanged.

Rice women’s basketball improves to 5-2 on the season and 3-2 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 75, Morgan State 44

Key takeaway | Taking Care of Business

Morgan State is not a good basketball team. The Bears are 1-7 on the season, with that lone victory coming over an NAIA program. This win won’t be mentioned as a resume builder down the road. However, that the game was a snoozer in itself shouldn’t be summarily dismissed.

For a Rice program that’s had its fair share of ups and downs already this season, a blowout win in this fashion was just what the doctor ordered. Good teams beat bad teams like this; that’s how it’s supposed to work. A close win would have counted the same way on the ledger, but it’s worth noting Rice is established enough now that they shouldn’t have to sweat games like this in the future.

Up Next: Puerto Rico Shootout vs UCF (Nov. 28 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Edges Illinois State in OT

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Rice women’s basketball had to gut it out in overtime to earn a hard fought win over Illinois State at the Puerto Rico Shootout.

Onlookers in Puerto Rico were treated to a physical back-and-forth affair between Rice women’s basketball and Illinois State on Wednesday. The two squads were tied at the end of the first quarter and separated by just a single point at halftime.

Shelby Hayes extended the Owls’ lead to five points midway through the third frame, the largest margin by any team to that point, but the contest still never felt in hand. That was made quite apparent when Illinois State answered with a run of their own to take an eight-point advantage early in the fourth quarter.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Trailing by no small margin with less eight minutes to play, Rice went to work, leaning on free throws from Aniah Alexias and Victoria Flores with the continued impressive play of Hayes, who finished with a career-high 23-points and 15 rebounds. She was instrumental in getting the Owls out of that hole and into overtime.

Once the extra period arrived, Rice was ready. The Owls traded a few baskets before winning this game with free throws and defense. Illinois State missed all three field goals they attempted in the final minute as Rice closed out the game. Guard Dominique Ennis crossed 1,000 career points in the winning effort.

Rice women’s basketball improves to 4-2 on the season and 2-2 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 75, Illinois State 72 (OT)

What They’re Saying

“I’m so proud of this team, our toughness and grit that we showcased today was incredible. We stepped up and made shots and free throws when needed, and got big-time stops on the defensive end when the game was on the line. Dom and Shelby really showed up to lead us as seniors should on both ends of the floor.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Comeback Queens

For the second consecutive game, Rice found itself in a decently sized deficit in the fourth quarter. Rice trailed by 12 against Incarnate Word and eight to Illinois State, but found a way to come back and win both games. When we get to the end of the season, the how will be less important than the final result and team’s that can close when it matters are typically the ones that fair the best in March.

Rice women’s basketball is a long way from worrying about the end of the regular season, but it’s nice to see this team find a way to start stacking some wins. It’s proof the talent is there. They just need to find ways to maximize it.

Up Next: Puerto Rico Shootout vs Morgan State (Nov. 27 at 4:30 pm)

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Rice Basketball Tops Oral Roberts to Close Out Coconut Hoops

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Less than 48 hours removed from heartbreaking overtime losses, Rice Basketball bounced back and posted a big win over Oral Roberts at Coconut Hoops.

A grueling week at Coconut Hoops got off to a familiar start on Wednesday with Rice Basketball taking an early lead, this time against Oral Roberts. The Owls scored first and traded baskets with the Golden Eagles for much of the first half before Trade Broadnax earned the team some separation with successive possessions with a three and a jumper that put Rice in front by ten.

Ahead by a decent margin with four minutes to play, Rice was able to keep the margin there with even play from both sides of the court, answering the two field goals Oral Roberts was able to make in the final five minutes of the half, entering intermission with a 12 point advantage.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Rice really seized control in earnest right out of the break. Jimmy Oladokun kicked off a 12-4 run that put the Owls ahead by 20. A steady barrage of threes and hard earned free throws ensured the advantage was never again distilled to single digits.

Rice Basketball held on to win, improving to 3-6 with the win. The Owls are 1-4 away from Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Rice 81, Oral Roberts 62

What They’re Saying

“That was a good week. It was a great way to cap off what I though was a week of tremendous growth for our team. We played together. We played tough, hard-nosed defense. We didn’t close out the first two games, but I thought we did a great job finishing this game. Our defense really stepped up in the second half.” – Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | Bringing the Heat from Deep

Rice basketball shot better than 50 percent from the floor on Wednesday, a welcomed offensive boost from a team that hadn’t quite found its shooting stroke in earnest this season. When combined with a strong defensive effort that kept Oral Roberts in check to the tune of 38 percent from the field, Rice was in a good place. The three-pointers sealed the deal.

Rice tied a season-high with 12 three-pointers getting three each from Broadnax and Jalen Smith and four from Nick Anderson. If Rice can get near that level of production from that trio — and build on early promise from freshman Cam Carroll who scored 10 on 2-for-3 from deep — Rice has the potential to be feisty down the stretch. Good defense with some deep shots will give teams fits. The next step is finding a way to produce that level of play more consistently.

Up Next: vs Texas State (Wed, Dec. 3 at 8:00 pm)

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