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Rice Women’s Basketball clinches share of 2020 regular season C-USA title

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It was another banner night for Rice Women’s Basketball, which defended their spot atop Conference USA, clinching a share of the regular season title.

Rice Women’s Basketball clinched a share of the Conference USA Women’s Basketball regular season title with a Thursday night win over UTEP. The Miners kept things close early before Rice used their seemingly inevitable third quarter surge to put things out of reach and lock down the win at home.

The victory clinched a fourth consecutive season of at least 20 wins for Rice women’s basketball. That’s a testament to the incredible work done by head coach Tina Langley, who earlier this season became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins.

Langley and the Owls aren’t done yet, though. The win over UTEP came in parallel with an Old Dominion loss to UAB in overtime. For the moment, Rice (15-2) holds sole possession of first place in Conference USA and the right to the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. That sets the stage for a winner-take-all contest this weekend between the Owls and the Monarchs.

Old Dominion (14-3) would leapfrog Rice with a win at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday by nature of the head-to-head tiebreaker. Even with a loss, Rice could fall no further than the No. 2 seed. Since the top four teams in C-USA get byes in the first round and the middle-tier of the conference is fairly robust, the difference between the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 seed might not matter much this year. Still, the optics of being No. 1 carry some relevance.

This season has been flush with highs (Erica Ogwumike’s 2000-point, 1000-rebound plateau, 30th consecutive C-USA win) and lows (Injuries to Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey, back-to-back C-USA losses, bad start to nonconference play). In the midst of all of the noise, Rice women’s basketball has proved to be resilient. Now it’s time to win when it counts — in March.

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Rice Basketball clinches C-USA Tourney bid with win over Southern Miss

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Rice basketball punched its ticket to Frisco, securing a spot in the Conference USA Basketball Tournament with their win over Southern Miss.

Rice basketball did not play their best game in their first trip of the season to Reed Green Coliseum. A narrow halftime deficit turned into a blowout after the Golden Eagles caught fire in the second half, outscoring Rice 47-38 the rest of the way for a 81-68 win.

There were no signs of a repeat performance from either team on Wednesday. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but Rice made the shots that mattered. Rice hit 13 three-pointers compared to six by Southern Miss. The Owls’ suddenly stingy defense forced 18 turnovers, paving the way for extra opportunities and an early double-digit lead.

Leading 32-22 at halftime, Rice did not make it through the second half with ease. Southern Miss hit four consecutive three point shots to erase the double-digit advantage and take a three-point lead. Rice battled back, answering the streaky Southern Miss shooting with steady defense, holding on for the win.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Drew Peterson

Peterson had 16 points and led the Owls in rebounds (eight) and assists (four). He made four of his nine shots from distance, leading his by example through all the highs and lows of this back and forth contest. He became the first player in Rice history with 300 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists in a season.  Peterson’s growth during the season has been remarkable. Wednesday was another testament to that development.

Up Next

By virtue of their win over Southern Miss, Rice basketball has clinched a spot in the Conference USA Basketball Tournament. No matter what happens in their final regular season game, the Owls will play at least one game in Frisco. Before that, the Owls close out bonus play on Saturday at home against UTEP. That game will tip off at 1:00 p.m. and air on CUSATV.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Owls vs Middle Tennessee

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Rice basketball returns home in need of a win to keep their Conference USA Tournament hopes alive. How do the Owls’ stack up against Middle Tennessee?

Rice Basketball

Time: March 1 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSATV

MTSU 7-21 (3-12), Last 5 (1-4)

  • 75-70 (L) vs North Texas
  • 91-83 (L) vs Rice
  • 83-72 (L) at UAB
  • 79-66 (L) vs UAB
  • 61-53 (W) at Southern Miss

Rice 13-15 (5-10), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 86-72 (W) at UAB
  • 91-83 (W) at MTSU
  • 73-70 (L) vs Old Dominion
  • 70-54 (W) vs Charlotte
  • 68-62 (L) at UTEP

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | CJ Jones – 16.4 per game
  • Rebounds | Jayce Johnson – 4.9 per game
  • Assists | Donovan Sims – 3.5 per game
  • Steals | Donovan Sims – 1.6 per game
  • Blocks | Tyson Jackson – 0.7 per game

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Trey Murphy – 13.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Drew Peterson – 6.5 per game
  • Assists | Drew Peterson – 3.4 per game
  • Steals | Trey Murphy – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Trey Murphy – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

When Rice basketball and Middle Tennessee last met the Owls shot the lights out of the Murphy Athletic Center in Murfreesboro. Rice shot 52.8 percent from the field and scored 91 points, the most against any conference opponent this season.

A hot shooting start would be a plus, but it’s the defensive side of the ball which could hold the key. Middle Tennessee is a poor rebounding team that is currently ranked in the top half of Conference USA in turnovers. Rice is going to be able to score against Middle Tennessee’s porous defense. Staying vigilant on the other end of the court should ensure the Owls get a much-needed bounce-back win.

Standings check

Middle Tennessee win against Southern Miss in their previous game puts the burden to win this matchup squarely on Rice. If the Blue Raiders win, they’ll finish above Rice in the final standings with two wins and the tiebreakers over the Owls. If Rice wants to control their own destiny, they have to win this game.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Owls vs LA Tech

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Rice women’s basketball is back on a winning streak and has their eyes set on C-USA’s top seed. A win over Louisiana Tech would get them one step closer.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 29 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Thomas Assembly Center
TV: CUSATV

LA Tech 13-13 (5-10), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 60-50 (W) vs Marshall
  • 68-44 (W) at FIU
  • 77-75 (L) at FAU
  • 63-61 (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 62-52 (W) vs FIU

Rice 18-8 (13-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 77-60 (W) vs MTSU
  • 66-59 OT (L) at Old Dominion
  • 62-51 (L) at Charlotte
  • 69-66 (W) vs North Texas
  • 74-65 (W) at UAB

LA Tech statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Amber Dixon – 12.0 per game
  • Rebounds | Anna Larr Roberson – 5.4 per game
  • Assists | Rzizel Guinto – 2.9 per game
  • Steals | Amber Dixon – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Grayson Bright – 0.7 per game

Rice statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Erica Ogwumike – 18.9 per game
  • Rebounds | Erica Ogwumike – 10.3 per game
  • Assists | Jasmine Smith – 3.0 per game
  • Steals | Sydne Wiggins – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Nancy Mulkey – 3.3 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice women’s basketball used their suffocating defense to overcome Louisiana Tech in the first meeting of these two squads this season. That came back in mid-January. Both teams have come a long way since.

Louisiana Tech has won three-of-five games for the first time in conference play. Rice is recovering from their first C-USA losing streak since 2018, winning their last two games.

The Rice offense has been up and down. The defense has remained firm. Rice maintains the second-best field goal defense in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech is 12th in the same metric. The Owls have learned to rely on their depth more often in recent weeks. Combing their tenacity with a few bright spots from their younger playmakers will keep Rice alive in the conference race.

Standings Check

Old Dominion and Rice sit atop the Conference USA standings with three games remaining in the regular season for both squads. The Monarchs hold the tiebreaker — for now. A rematch on March 7 could decide who claims the No. 1 seed between these two 13-2 teams. The Monarchs have additional games remaining between FAU and UAB.

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Conference USA Basketball: Men’s and Women’s Bracketology (Feb. 26)

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Conference USA Basketball hopes to extend its season into the NCAA Tournament. Here are the latest Bracketology projections for the men and women.

Men

13-Seed North Texas vs 4-Seed Oregon (West Region)

Pod play was meant to raise the profile of the conference, enabling the top teams to gain additional resume-building wins. We haven’t seen that ideal play out yet. As things currently stand, Conference USA looks to be a one-bid league once again.

Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky are currently the two teams on the outside looking in. Tech owns the conference’s best record at 20-7 and sits at No. 73 in Kenpom’s ratings, two spots ahead of North Texas (No. 74th).

It’s conceivable that either North Texas or Louisiana Tech could run the rest of the table in the regular season before the other wins the conference tournament. Even then, it would take an exceedingly weak bubble to get two C-USA squads into the field this year.

Women

11-Seed Western Kentucky vs 6-Seed TCU (Fort Wayne Region)
11-Seed Old Dominion vs 6-Seed Kentucky (Greenville Region)

The women have a much better chance of getting multiple bids. Old Dominion and Western Kentucky are both projected to be in the field right now. They’ve each compiled an RPI in the Top 35, well within the range of an at-large selection should they fail to clinch an automatic bid.

Defending Conference USA Basketball Tournament Champion Rice is tied with Old Dominion atop the standings. Rice doesn’t have the resume to get in without winning the tournament, whereas both Old Dominion and Western Kentucky could secure a spot with a few more wins down the stretch.

It’s more likely the women get three teams into the NCAA Tournament than it is for the men to get two representatives. The Rice women would have to win the tournament with some bubble help for the other squads, but it’s starting to look like more of a legitimate possibility than anyone might have thought a few months ago.

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