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Rice Women’s Basketball climbs AAC standings with win vs Tulane

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Rice women’s basketball blew past Tulane on Saturday, leading for 35 minutes on their way to first place in the AAC standings.

Any doubts as to the result of Saturday’s contest between Rice women’s basketball and Tulane were put to bed rather quickly. Tulane scored first, taking a 2-0 lead on a layup during their first possession. It would be their largest lead of the game. Rice quickly took charge, making their next seven consecutive field goals, closing out the first quarter with a nine-point advantage.

The Owls’ defense took over in the second frame. They held the Green Wave to 3-for-12 shooting from the floor in that period, holding the line until the offense got back into gear. Dominque Ennis provided that jump-start quickly after the halftime break, propelling Rice to an 18-point lead and seemingly putting the game out of reach given Tulane’s shooting struggles.

Tulane’s last gasp came at the beginning of the fourth quarter which they opened on 9-2 run, closing the deficit to eight points. They wouldn’t score again for the remainder of the afternoon. Maya Bokunewicz delivered an incredible under-the-basket shot to push the lead back to double-digits before Rice closed the game on a 9-0 run.

Final Box | Rice 61 – Tulane 44

Key takeaway | No. 1

With the win, Rice women’s basketball moves to a tie for first place in the league with Charlotte. The Owls have won four of their last five with their only loss coming to those 49ers at home. Rice doesn’t play Charlotte again in the regular season, giving Charlotte a potential tiebreaker for seeding purposes should that be necessary down the road. For now, though, Rice controls its own destiny and the future looks brighter than ever.

It wasn’t just the impact on the conference standings that made this game meaningful. It was the Owls’ first shot to go on the road against a team they were clearly better than and prove they have the focus and determination to take care of business.

Rice ought to have won this game, and they did. But to do so in the manner in which they did, holding Tulane to a season-low 44 points with four double-digit scorers of their own, speaks to a team that wasn’t just fortunate, they were dominant. There’s a long road ahead, but Rice women’s basketball very much so looks the part of the AACs top team.

Up Next: at Tulsa (Wednesday, Jan. 24)

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Rice Women’s Basketball puts AAC on notice with win at ECU

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Rice women’s basketball went on the road and posted a commanding victory, topping East Carolina to improve to 4-1 in AAC play.

It took Rice women’s basketball a moment to settle in for an early morning tip against East Carolina. The Owls fell behind 7-2 in the opening minutes, allowing the Pirates to score on three straight possessions, aided by a Rice turnover. Then the defense woke up, the shooting found its groove and the Owls became the aggressors.

Rice outscored ECU 20-6 to close out the first quarter. As the Owls’ zone defense flummoxed the Pirates on offense, Shelby Hayes emerged as a force when the Owls were on the attack. Hayes posted a tying a career-high with 18 points, perfectly complimenting the outside shooting of Dominque Ennis and the slashing drives of Destiny Jackson.

Up by eight at the half, Rice was able to keep ECU at bay for the next quarter, maintaining a double-digit advantage until ECU opened the fourth frame with a 7-0 run to get the game back within reach. In front by seven, Rice dug deep and found the resolve to battle for just a bit longer with the usual suspects coming through in big junctures.

Ennis hit a couple of threes. Jackson and Fisher hit shots inside. Soon a tenuous lead became a 17-point edge, the Owls’ largest of the ballgame. By the time the final buzzer had sounded, the Owls had left no doubt. Rice women’s basketball is the team to beat in the AAC.

Final Box | Rice 80 – ECU 67

Key takeaway | AAC on notice

South Florida, East Carolina, Rice and SMU were tabbed to finish first through fourth, respectively, in the preseason coaches poll. In just a few weeks of conference action, Rice is 3-0 against those other teams, posting consecutive, convincing victories over the top teams in the span of a few days. And Rice might not have played its best basketball just yet.

Rice sits tied atop the American Conference standings as the calendar moves past the midpoint of January.

There’s a long way to go before the season wraps up and nobody within the walls of Tudor Fieldhouse is counting their proverbial chickens at this moment. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to look at the results of the past few weeks and come to any other conclusion: Rice women’s basketball is the AAC front-runner until further notice.

Up Next: at Tulane (Saturday, Jan. 20)

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Malia Fisher powers Rice Women’s Basketball past USF

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Rice women’s basketball traded blows with USF in a nationally televised bout of AAC elites as Malia Fisher powered the Owls to a big win.

There was noticeable rust for Rice women’s basketball in their return to Tudor Fieldhouse on Thursday against Charlotte. Faced with another battle against one of the American Conference’s top teams on Sunday, just a few days later, the Owls looked much more prepared.

Rice came out of the gates hot, jumping in front by eight points in the first quarter via a 15-2 run, compiled by a series of plays attacking the basket with a three-pointer from Dominque Ennis as the final blow. That might have been enough against one of the league’s lesser squads, but USF stayed composed and rallied back, turning this contest into a 40-minute battle between two talented teams.

USF would push back in front, but the visitors’ advantage never exceeded seven points. The Rice defense held its own, forcing USF to make shots from beyond the arc and plugging the lane throughout the game. USF did hit some big threes down the stretch, but the strategy kept the Bulls from getting into any real rhythm.

Both sides tread water for much of the third and fourth quarters, waiting for either team to take control. Malia Fisher answered the call. The Owls’ veteran leader was responsible for 10 straight points for Rice in the fourth quarter, supplementing her superb defensive plays with aggressive drives to the rim and a perfect performance from the free throw line.

Fisher’s focus was unmistakable. “This is our game,” she said, recalling the team’s message to themselves in the halftime locker room. “It just shows how tough of a team we are to come out here and pull this one out against a great team.”

Final Box | Rice 67 – USF 64

Key takeaway | Adjustments are key

Rice women’s basketball designed a significant portion of its offense around the three-point shot against Charlotte, then proceeded to go 2-for-19 from long range. The Owls have been hot and cold from deep this season, but rather than roll the dice against USF, we saw the team make a noticeable decision to attack inside.

Rather than settle for long shots or build around the three, there was a clear intent to get the ball in the hands of Malia Fisher in the post and let her work. The results were extremely encouraging. Fisher finished with a double-double, 23 points and 13 rebounds. She also provided a spark on the defensive side of the court, too.

Rather than stick with a strategy the team wasn’t executing at a high level, head coach Lindsay Edmonds and the Rice coaching staff adjusted. And it worked. Rice built the whole plane out of Malia Fisher and the Owls soared with Dominique Ennis stepping in with a 16-point performance, too.

For those looking for reasons to be encouraged about the state of the program moving forward, this game should serve as a strong endorsement. Not only can Rice beat the best the AAC has to offer, they can do it with superb play from their leaders and well-crafted gameplans from the coaching staff.

Up Next: at ECU (Wednesday, Jan. 17)

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Shooting woes spoil defensive effort vs Charlotte

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Frenetic defense gave Rice Women’s Basketball a chance on Thursday against Charlotte, but a lack of scoring resulted in the Owls’ first AAC loss.

Points were at a premium on Thursday night as two of the AAC’s top five defensive teams squared off in Houston. A 12-12 score at the end of the first quarter proved to be a harbinger of things to come as Rice women’s basketball ran out of time in a gritty slugfest of a game against Charlotte at Tudor Fieldhouse.

It was that defense that kept Rice afloat, particularly in the first half. Rice shot 31.6 percent from the floor in the first half and made two of their 13 attempts from three. Despite the aid of six offensive rebounds and 18 forced turnovers in the first half alone — the 49ers’ average 18 turnovers per game — the Owls were unable to build much of a lead, going into halftime with a 27-25 advantage.

Not much changed in the second half. Charlotte out-shot Rice from the field and from three, but the 49ers’ turnovers gave Rice a 73-to-47 advantage in total field goal attempts. On sheer volume, the Owls were able to hang around for quite a while, even though the shots weren’t falling. Eventually, though, the lack of precision proved fatal.

“We were flying around. We were playing hard. It wasn’t about energy. It wasn’t about effort. It was simply about putting the ball in the basket more,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said.

Following a 7-0 Charlotte run to start the fourth quarter, Rice battled back to get the game within two before ending the contest 1-for-9 down the stretch. With the loss, Rice falls to 2-1 in AAC play.

Final Box | Charlotte 61 – Rice 54

What They’re Saying

“I didn’t think we were going to go undefeated in conference, but I want us to protect home at all times. You go on the road and you hope you can steal a couple, but we are normally good enough at home to win games. One-and-one with SMU and Charlotte, am i happy with that? Yeah. But I would have loved to be 2-0.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | The exception, not the rule

Rice women’s basketball has historically shot the ball very well under head coach Lindsay Edmonds, particularly from deep. The Owls came into this game as the third best three-point shooting team in the AAC, but went 2-for-19 from long range. And it wasn’t as if the Owls were heaving up separation shots.

“They were good looks,” Edmonds agreed. “If you would have told me Dom [Ennis] was going to go 0f-or-6, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. If you told me DJ was going to have a hard time finishing on some layups I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I thought we had some really good, quality looks.”

It wasn’t a shot selection or a personnel problem. The best shooters don’t make every wide-open shot, but for the Owls’ top three-point shooters to strike out so many times in a game that went down to the wire stings. Edmonds noted the team hadn’t played a game in Tudor Fieldhouse in nearly a month.

Perhaps a bit more court time will help return the Owls’ stroke to normal. The defense was fantastic on Thursday. If the offense bounces back, the Owls should be just fine.

Up Next: vs USF (Sunday, Jan. 14)

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Rice Women’s Basketball tops SMU on buzzer beater

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Rice Women’s Basketball topped SMU at the buzzer to improve to 2-0 in American Conference play this season.

Coaches like to say defense travels. That old adage was certainly true for Rice women’s basketball on Sunday. Playing their first road contest as AAC members, Rice relied on their defense to build an early lead against SMU and set the stage for a 2-0 start in league play.

Rice held SMU to 25 percent shooting in the first half, turning the Mustangs over seven times before the halftime buzzer. That allowed the visiting Owls to take a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter and an eight-point lead at halftime, spurred by a balanced scoring effort from Destiny Jackson, Dominque Ennis and Emily Klaczek.

SMU was able to whittle the halftime deficit away in the opening minutes of the second half, setting up an incredible boxing match down the stretch with the teams trading blows (and the lead) into the final minutes. After Rice led for the vast majority of three quarters, the lead changed five times in the final five minutes. Malia Fisher came through with several big plays in those key moments.

After missing the potential go-ahead shot with 30 seconds to play, Rice was able to force a turnover on an SMU travel and retain possession. That paved the way for Destiny Jackson to wind through the SMU defense and hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer. The victory evens the all-time series record between these two programs. In 72 meetings, each team has won 36 times.

Final Box | Rice 65 – SMU 63

Key takeaway | Measuring stick moments

Rice women’s basketball was picked to finish third in the AAC in the preseason coaches poll. SMU was picked to finish fourth. Those prognostications from early October don’t mean much anymore with actual game results in hand and the conference standings beginning to take shape. However, after both teams labored through nonconference play, Rice is starting to get into a rhythm. SMU remains unbalanced.

Rice joins Charlotte and East Carolina as the lone unbeaten in Conference play thus far and Rice hosts Charlotte next weekend. As the Owls work to find their footing in their new conference every win serves to further legitimize their aspirations of becoming the top team in this league. Beating SMU alone won’t make Rice the frontrunners, but it’s a good next step against a quality opponent on the road.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Thursday, Jan. 11)

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