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Rice Women’s Basketball: Season at crossroads after Charlotte loss

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After going more than a calendar year since their last C-USA loss, Rice women’s basketball dropped their second conference game of the week, falling to Charlotte.

Wait, what happened? Those thoughts danced through the heads of Rice women’s basketball fans when the team fell to SMU all the way back on November 13. Rice came out rusty in their first road game and was stunted from start to finish by a team which did not have the athleticism to match the Owls — or at least, it didn’t seem like it on paper.

Three months later that guttural feeling has returned, placing the season at a crossroads. At this point last week the Owls were 11-0 in C-USA play, owners of first place and presumptive favorites to repeat as back-to-back Champions. Now they’re in second place, with fewer wins and more losses than fifth-place Charlotte, who handed Rice their most uncomfortable defeat since that ominous SMU affair.

Against SMU, Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey played well. Ogwumike led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds while Mulkey blocked 11 shots. For whatever reason, the team didn’t shoot well, finishing 24.1 percent from the field.

Rice couldn’t buy a bucket against Charlotte, either. Ogwumike had 14 points. Nancy Mulkey was limited by injury, scoring five points with six rebounds in 21 minutes, playing just four minutes in the second half. Kendall Ellig, Mulkey’s primary backup this season, had more fouls (three) than points (two). From start to finish, Rice was out of sorts, confused. They didn’t look much like the team that had overcome every obstacle for the past several months.

Returning to Tudor Fieldhouse and ending this forgettable road sweep will be a welcome homecoming. The pressure to be perfect is gone, but if the Owls have their eyes on a top seed in the C-USA Tournament and a repeat trip to the NCAA’s, there isn’t time to dwell on this dismal result.

The Owls will see their resiliency tested in the next three weeks. How they respond will determine the narrative that accompanies a season that began with lofty expectations.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs Charlotte

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Each of the Rice Basketball teams saw winning streaks snapped against Old Dominion. They’ll look to get back on track against Charlotte. Here’s a preview of those games.

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Charlotte 14-10 (8-5), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 72-59 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 74-68 OT (L) at Southern Miss
  • 68-64 (W) vs UTEP
  • 91-84 (W) vs UTSA
  • 81-72 (L) at North Texas

Rice 12-14 (4-9), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas
  • 86-72 (W) at UAB
  • 91-83 (W) at MTSU
  • 73-70 (L) vs Old Dominion

Charlotte statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jordan Shepherd – 14.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Jahmir Young- 5.2 per game
  • Assists | Jordan Shepherd – 4.2 per game
  • Steals | Cooper Robb – 1.6 per game
  • Blocks | Amidou Bamba – 1.0 per game

Rice keys to victory

The Owls’ shooting pace entering the Old Dominion game was unsustainable. They’d hit more than 50 percent of their shots from the field in each of their three prior games — all victories. Dropping back down below that mark was expected. Falling all the way to 36.1 % was a bit more than regression to the mean. A stunning 8-for-37 from three was the culprit. Rice needs to find a way to be a bit more effective inside against Charlotte which ranks fourth in C-USA in three-point defense.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 15 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Halton Arena
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Charlotte 16-7 (7-5), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 55-37 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 63-59 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 82-76 OT (L) at UTEP
  • 67-47 (W) at UTSA
  • 72-59 (W) vs North Texas

Rice 16-6 (11-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas
  • 64-53 (W) vs UAB
  • 77-60 (W) vs MTSU
  • 66-59 OT (L) at Old Dominion

Charlotte statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jade Phillips – 15.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Jade Phillips – 9.7 per game
  • Assists | Jada McMillian – 3.4 per game
  • Steals | Jade Phillips – 1.5 per game
  • Blocks | Jazmin Harris – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice women’s basketball has no streak to uphold when they hit the court in Charlotte on Saturday. The Owls played hard against Old Dominion, but the focus was lacking at times. The free throw shooting was sub-par and the thin lineup wasn’t able to bounce back in a tough environment. It was an off night. Every team has those.

The Owls can put any thoughts of a drop off to bed by playing their physical brand of basketball and eliminating some of those unforced errors. To this point, Rice has proven they’re a hard to beat when they don’t beat themselves.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2020: C-USA winning streak snapped by Old Dominion

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The biggest game of the Rice women’s basketball season went to overtime before Old Dominion prevailed, snapping the Owls’ 30-game conference winning streak.

Rice women’s basketball knew they were in for a 40-minute slugfest when they stepped onto the court to face Old Dominion on Thursday. The Monarchs weren’t intimidated by the Owls’ 30-game Conference USA winning streak. That was evident from the start.

Old Dominion was aggressive. Errant Rice passes were turned into Old Dominion fastbreak points. Missed Rice free throws — they were a woeful 12-of-22 from the charity stripe — became momentum-shifting plays in favor of the home squad.

Most teams have opted to tread cautiously when matching up with the defending champs. Old Dominion attacked, capitalizing on lapses and forcing the Owls to play from behind for much of the contest. Rice trailed for more than 30 minutes. The third quarter, which has been the hallmark of the Owls’ dominance this year, left Rice trailing entering the fourth.

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While the Owls relied on Ogwumike to do the heavy lifting, Old Dominion provided one of the most balanced showings the Owls have seen this year. Ajah Wayne, Taylor Edwards and Amari Young all finished in double-figure scoring. Marie Reichert was just shy with eight points.

One game does not define a season. Win or lose, Rice women’s basketball was still going to play Old Dominion again before the regular season ended. If Thursday night was any indication, these two teams might be meeting again in the conference tournament. It took overtime to separate these two teams. Old Dominion had the edge this time.

A 30-game winning streak in conference play is unprecedented. It had to end at some point — all streaks do — but this result should not diminish any faith in this team. Their first C-USA loss since 2018 is proof the Owls’ know what it takes.

There’s no more pressure to be perfect. The Owls’ aren’t in the driver’s seat right now, but they’re still equipped to win the conference and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the goal. If anything, Thursday’s loss should add to the Owls’ intensity down the stretch.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Erica Ogwumike

This was the Erica Ogwumike show. Coming off an NCBWA Player of the Week selection, the Owls’ senior leader played an incredible game in a hostile environment. Rice played a thin lineup, trusting Ogwumike to carry the load — she delivered with 26 points, 18 rebounds. She needed someone else to step up, but that help came up just short.

Up Next

Rice women’s basketball wraps up the road trip on Saturday. They’ll head to Charlotte for a 3:00 p.m. game. That game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs Old Dominion

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Both Men’s and Women’s Rice Basketball teams face pivotal matchups against Old Dominion on Thursday. Here’s a preview of both games.

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Old Dominion 10-15 (6-6), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 65-55 (W) vs FAU
  • 68-58 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 76-73 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 85-81 OT (L) vs UTSA
  • 72-53 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 12-13 (4-8), Last 5 (3-2)

  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas
  • 86-72 (W) at UAB
  • 91-83 (W) at MTSU

Old Dominion statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Xavier Green – 12.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Aaron Carver – 10.2 per game
  • Assists | Malik Curry – 3.7 per game
  • Steals | Jason Wade – 2.6 per game
  • Blocks | Aaron Carver – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

Fresh off their first wins ever in Birmingham and Murfreesboro, Rice basketball just needs to keep the hot streak going. The Owls’ shooting has been tremendous. They’ve shot better than 50 percent from the field in three straight games — all wins. They only hit seven three-pointers against MTSU and still controlled the game.

This team has proven they can beat anyone if they’re shooting well. That’s easier said than done, but it’s a clear differentiator between success and failure.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. CT
Venue: Chartway Arena
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

Old Dominion 20-3 (10-1), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 75-63 (W) at FAU
  • 67-50 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 77-61 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 62-43 (W) at UTSA
  • 77-69 (W) at UTEP

Rice 16-6 (11-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas
  • 64-53 (W) vs UAB
  • 77-60 (W) vs MTSU

Old Dominion statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Ajah Wayne – 11.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Amari Young – 8.4 per game
  • Assists | Taylor Edwards – 3.4 per game
  • Steals | Amair Young – 2.5 per game
  • Blocks | Marie Reichert – 1.3 per game

Rice keys to victory

Rice women’s basketball takes a 30-game conference winning streak into this pivotal matchup with Old Dominion. The winner leaves in first place in the conference standings with precious few weeks left to play.

Old Dominion is one of the most balanced teams in the conference. They can score and play terrific defense.  Four different Monarchs average double-digit points per game. To win, Rice needs to stay secure on the defensive end of the court and make Old Dominion make hard shots. Either way, this could be a grind-it-out, grueling finish in Virginia.

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Rice Basketball 2020: Tiebreaker scenarios prior to C-USA pod play

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Rice basketball has their eyes set on a Conference USA Championship Tournament berth. Here’s what it would take to secure a spot.

The Conference USA Basketball Tournament pits the top 12 of 14 conference teams in a four-day event. An automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament is the grand prize. Rice basketball is playing their best down the stretch and hoping for a shot in Frisco. The Owls have to get there first before they can entertain any ideas of cutting down nets.

The easy way

Conference USA introduced the pod system last season in hopes of earning the league an at large bid. That hasn’t materialized yet, but it has added a bit more intrigue to the final month of the season. Teams 1 through 5, 6 through 10 and 11 through 14 face off against each other.

The top two brackets have the distinction of guaranteed spots in the conference tournament. The top two teams of the bottom pod get in whereas the bottom two are the only programs left at home. Here’s a snapshot of the current standings and projected finishes.

Rice basketball is mathematically alive for the middle pod, but it’s complicated. Any loss would eliminate them from the middle pod and land them in the bottom pod. Here’s the path t0 the middle.

Currently sitting at 4-8 in conference play, Rice would need to win out, beating Old Dominion and Charlotte. That would put their record at 6-8. From there, Rice would need two of the following four things to happen to make the middle pod:

  1. UAB loses at least once (vs MTSU, at MTSU) dropping their record to 6-8 or worse. (Rice has the head to head victory)
  2. UTEP loses at least once (vs Marshall, vs WKU) dropping their record to 5-9 of worse
  3. UTSA loses twice (vs Marshall, vs WKU) dropping their record to 5-9
  4. Old Dominion loses twice (at Rice, at North Texas) dropping their record to 6-8 (Rice would have the head to head victory)

Marshall or FAU finishing 6-8 wouldn’t help Rice. Both programs own head to head wins over the Owls.

The hard way

If Rice is seeded in the bottom pod they’ll have to finish in the top two of that four team grouping. They’ve already beaten Middle Tennessee, so they’d most likely need to conjure a reprisal of that performance and find another win or two along the way. It’s possible but more challenging than an autobid.

Rooting guide

Rice basketball fans need to root for these outcomes, in order of importance by day.

Midweek (Thursday games)

  • Rice beats Old Dominion
  • Middle Tennessee beats UAB (Wednesday)
  • WKU beats UTEP
  • Marshall beats UTSA
  • FAU beats Southern Miss

Saturday games

  • Rice beats Charlotte
  • North Texas beats Old Dominion
  • Middle Tennessee beats UAB
  • Marshall beats UTEP
  • WKU beats UTSA

There are a few more complicated scenarios that could allow Rice to sneak in. We’ll have an update on where things stand entering the weekend. The first step is a win Thursday against Old Dominion. If Rice can’t achieve that, the rest of these combinations are void.

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