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Sussy Ngulefac powers Rice Women’s Basketball past SMU

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Sussy Ngulefac came off the bench and delivered a monster performance, propelling Rice women’s basketball to a big win over SMU.

In their lone season as mutual members of the American Conference, Rice women’s basketball and SMU have played some tightly contested games. That was true of the first game between these basketball programs on the gridiron a few weeks ago. The lead changed hands nine times in that game, with Rice winning in Dallas on a buzzer-beating shot from Destiny Jackson.

On Wednesday night in the final regular season rematch between the two squads, the lead had changed nine times… before the fourth quarter began. Rife with injuries, Rice benefited from a career performance off the bench from Sussy Ngulefac.

Ngulefac, who hadn’t made more than a single field goal in a game for Rice this season after transferring from Samford, became the go-to offensive weapon for the Owls. She was a mesmerizing 8-of-9 from the field, scoring 19 points, blowing past her previous Rice-high of five points by the widest of margins.

As Ngulefac dominated inside, Rice got key perimeter shots from Dominque Ennis, Maya Bokunewicz and the final dagger from Emily Klaczek, putting the Owls up by double-digits with just over 90 seconds to play. There would be no need for a buzzer-beater this time around. Rice dribbled out the clock and celebrated.

“I think this was a must-win game. We had our backs against the wall and it was like, how are we going to respond? How are we going to step up?” head coach Lindsay Edmonds shared after the game. Her team provided quite an emphatic answer.

The victory gives Rice women’s basketball a regular season sweep over SMU. It also breaks a deadlock in the all-time series. Before this game, Rice and SMU were tied 36-36 in wins in series history. Rice now sends SMU off from the AAC with a losing record against the Owls.

“It’ll help with recruiting,” Edmonds said with a grin.

Final Box | Rice 69 – SMU 60

Key takeaway | Ngulefac Attack

Injuries have dealt Rice women’s basketball a tough hand in recent weeks. Without Shelby Hayes for seemingly the long haul, getting limited minutes from Jazzy Owens Barnett and none at all from veteran leader Malia Fisher, Rice was going to need someone else to come through to beat a talented SMU squad.

“We needed someone to step up big in the worst way and I wasn’t sure who that was going to be,” Edmonds admitted.

That mystery didn’t last long. Ngulefac was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor in the first half with three rebounds and an assist. Then she exploded for another 12 points in the second half, bringing her evening totals to 19 points, seven rebounds and assist and a block. In need of a spark, Ngulefac provided a bonfire.

“I think this is what we knew Sussy could be. From the moment she went into the portal, the moment we had that first conversation and I was able to watch film on her, this is what I saw her bringing to this team,” Edmonds said. “I’m just really happy for her, because I know it’s been an uphill battle for her and she’s had hard days, as anyone would and she just now can get rewarded for her hard work.”

As for Ngulefac herself, she’s just happy to be back on the court. Injuries have limited her ability to contribute this season. Finally healthy, to see her explode like this was encouraging for everyone. “It feels really good to be back and feel like myself,” she said. “But we like to celebrate each other. We love each other. That’s one of those things that makes us a family. So I go off like that, they’re going to celebrate with me.”

The evening ended with Ngulefac, mobbed by her teammates after the stands sang out Rice’s honor.

Up Next: at FAU (Saturday, Feb. 3)

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NEWS: Rice Athletics to add Diving in 2024

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Once a university-sponsored sport discontinued in 1991, Rice Athletics has announced its plans to bring back women’s diving in 2024.

In an ever-changing landscape in which universities are slashing sports (as recently as this week), Rice Athletics is officially doubling down on its commitment to athletics and growing its athletic footprint. The Owls announced this week the return of the women’s diving program in 2024.

Rice Women’s Diving was a sponsored sport at the university from 1975 to 1991 before it was discontinued. Meanwhile, the women’s swim team at Rice has been prolific, frequently finishing as high as possible in the standings with one caveat — winning titles is extremely challenging because the team did not score any diving points. Now that’s changing.

“Year after year, our swimmers have produced championship-caliber results and countless event champions, but the lack of diving points has prevented them from standing at the top of the podium as a team,” said Rice Athletics Director Tommy McClelland in a statement on Tuesday. “We are committed to winning our conference in every sport, and the return of the diving team is a vital step forward.”

You can read the full release here.

Practically, this decision raises a few interesting things as far as the trajectory of Rice Athletics as a whole. First, it demonstrates a commitment from the university to back sports and a tangible alignment between athletics and the university. Look no further than the school president Reginald DesRoches jumping into the pool himself!

Additionally, it signals potential growth opportunities with that enhanced level of commitment. As the Owls move into the AAC and add to one athletics program it opens the door for further investment.

This decision wasn’t just about diving. It’s a first step in strengthening Rice Athletics and ensuring the Owls can do just what McClelland said in his statement above, compete to be “winning our conference in every sport.” That means more investment in swimming, track and field, soccer, football, baseball, etc. Across the board, things are looking up for Rice Athletics.

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Injuries and foul trouble sink Rice Women’s Basketball vs Memphis

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It was a rough afternoon for Rice women’s basketball, which battled through injuries and foul trouble in a loss to Memphis at home.

Points were at a premium on Saturday afternoon. Fouls were plentiful. The result was a grimy game for a shorthanded Rice women’s basketball team, playing without Malia Fisher, against a Memphis team that entered the game with one road win on the season so far. Further complicating matters, Shelby Hayes wasn’t available either.

Rice was able to nurse a small lead through most of the first quarter before Memphis jumped in front to start the second period. The visitors slowly added to their advantage, reaching a 15-point lead after three quarters thanks to a flurry of foul calls against Rice, with a technical foul against head coach Lindsay Edmonds providing the frustrating exclamation point.

After three quarters, Rice had been charged with 20 fouls. Memphis had been called for just nine. The final foul margin was 29 to 19. Dominque Ennis missed about half of the fourth quarter after a collision, adding to a slue of misfortune for the Owls.

There were some good moments — including a career-best 15 points from Hailey Adams — but ultimately a mediocre shooting performance, injuries and foul trouble proved too much to overcome. Had the Owls gotten one or two more fortunate bounces, they might have been able to steal this one, instead, Rice fell at home to Memphis on a frustrating afternoon of basketball.

Final Box | Memphis 73 – Rice 66

Key takeaway | Gone Fish(er)ing?

For the second time in as many games, Rice women’s basketball was without the services of Malia Fisher. An integral piece on both sides of the court, it was evident in both games the Owls’ rhythm was off. Not having her presence on the interior impacts how this team wants to play basketball. They got some big contributions from Hailey Adams and others but were unable to reliably make the most out of every possession.

The effort is certainly there, but the efficiency hasn’t been the same. Rice shot just 37.7 percent from the floor on Saturday, converting just 3-of-13 from three. It’ll be interesting to see if this team can reorient themselves while Fisher is sidelined. For the time being, it’s been anything but smooth sailing.

Up Next: vs SMU (Wednesday, Jan. 31)

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Dominque Ennis the best-kept secret in the AAC?

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Sophomore guard Dominque Ennis has quietly become a difference maker for Rice women’s basketball. It’s not long before the rest of the AAC takes notice.

In much the same way Rice women’s basketball managed to fly under the radar when it came to offseason prognosticators evaluated the new-look American Athletic Conference, so too has the Owls’ newfound star scorer avoided the spotlight. For now, at least. However, it’s becoming increasingly more and more difficult for sophomore guard Dominique Ennis to avoid notice.

Rice was picked to finish third by the league’s coaches, with no players on the all-conference first team. Just a few weeks into conference play, the Owls have already beaten three of the five members of that all-conference first team they’ve faced, in large part because players like Ennis have stepped up.

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Rice Women’s Basketball falls short on the road vs Tulsa

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Rice women’s basketball started slow but rallied late, taking Tulsa down to the wire before suffering their first road loss in AAC play.

Things couldn’t have gotten off to much of a worse start for Rice women’s basketball on Wednesday night against Tulsa. Just days removed from climbing to the top spot in the AAC standings, the visiting Owls found themselves in an early 18-3 hole. Malisa Fisher did not play in this game, throwing a wrench into a rhythm that had gotten Rice off to a 5-1 start in league play.

Rice shot 26 percent in the first half, failing to close the gap by any meaningful amount. They would need quite an adjustment at halftime to make a game out of a contest that had been quite one-sided to that point.

The third quarter brought with it a spark. Emily Klaczek provided the first, adding to a strong start with a team-high two steals, two rebounds and seven points in that frame, alone. That helped Rice narrow the deficit to six points, getting the game within reach for one last push in the fourth quarter.

Rally they did, blasting out of the gates in the final quarter on a 9-2 run, narrowing the gap to a single score. After trailing by as many as 19, the combination of Dominque Ennis and Destiny Jackson carved up the Tulsa defense. They played off each other so well, propelling the Owls to a tied game with less than a minute to go. An untimely deflection would thwart the Owls’ chances, giving Tulsa one extra possession late as they secured the lead for good.

Final Box | Tulsa 70 – Rice 65

Key takeaway | On a bad night

On the road without one of their key players in a massive early deficit, Rice women’s basketball was one bad bounce from a game-tying shot in the closing minutes. This trip to Tulsa checked a lot of the boxes head coach Lindsay Edmonds might have laid out when asked for a potential worst-case scenario, and still, this team was right there in the thick of it.

There are no moral victories and this team has come far enough that they’re not going to treat this game as such. But we’ve now seen two conference losses for this squad and both required unusual circumstances for this program to lose in league play. Maybe Rice isn’t head and shoulders above everyone else just yet, that’s evident after nights like this. But the range of outcomes for this team is starting to fully materialize.

On bad nights, this team is still good enough to challenge you to the very end and perhaps even beat you without playing their best brand of basketball. On good nights…. good luck.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Saturday, Jan. 27)

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