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Rice Women’s Basketball posts team win over MTSU

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Rice Women’s basketball grinded out a four-quarter battle against Middle Tennessee, outscoring the Blue Raiders in the final minutes to clinch the win.

Days removed from a relatively comfortable win over rival Houston, Rice women’s basketball found itself in a dogfight against former C-USA foe Middle Tennessee at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday. The two squads were tied after the first quarter and separated by just two points at the break following six dead even scores in the first half alone.

After falling behind briefly on an MTSU three-pointer to open the third quarter, Rice started to got on the offensive with a thorough 10-0 run made possible by tremendous defense. MTSU would shoot 31 percent in the frame as Rice went inside, dominating the paint with Hailey Adams and Shelby Hayes accounting for 10 of the Owls’ 14 points in that 10-minute period.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Even a nine-point lead wouldn’t prove enough, though. MTSU knotted things back up at 51 all with 4:31 to play in the final quarter. And then, with the game on the line, Rice got a succession of huge shots from Louann Battiston and some clutch free throws from Hailey Adams to salt the game away. The Blue Raiders would make just three shots from the field in the final three minutes, another stout defensive effort.

Rice women’s basketball improved to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 66, Middle Tennessee 59

Key takeaway | Team Mentality

When March comes around, Rice women’s basketball will need to find a player or two they can trust to make the big shot when it counts. As it stands, there hasn’t yet been one dominant player, but with where this team is at, that might not be a problem.

On Saturday, Rice got a team-high 18 points from Aniah Alexis. Her double-double paced the team, but the massive fourth quarter from Battiston and a four-steal, three-assist effort from Victoria Flores were equally vital to pulling out a close win. More often than not, a “team win” is cheesy line from a press conference. This time around, it really was a collective effort that made the difference.

Up Next: at Princeton (Nov. 19 at 6:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball edges Houston on the road

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Rice Women’s basketball secured its first win of the season in a hard-fought defensive struggle against rival Houston on the road.

Looking to rebound from an opening game loss to South Dakota State, Rice women’s basketball came out ready to play in their return to the city, albeit across town against rival Houston. The Owls opened the scoring on a 7-0 burst, taking an immediate lead which they would never relinquish.

Ahead by four points after the first quarter, Hailey Adams gave the team some breathing room with seven consecutive points of her own, part of a 10-0 Rice run that put the visiting Owls ahead by 14. Houston wasn’t going to fade the easily, though. The Cougars muscled themselves to the free throw line, clawing back from their double-digit deficit, entering halftime behind by just five points.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Margins remained tight for a while from that point with Rice women’s basketball never truly being able to take a deep breath until freshman Jordin Blackmon hit one of the team’s few threes to get the Owls back in front by double-digits with under nine minutes to play in regulation. Victoria Flores finished a sterling 16-for-16 from the free throw line, all in the second half, to help Rice secure the win.

Final Box | Rice 70, Houston 56

Key takeaway | Bested on the Boards

Points were at a premium on Tuesday night with neither side shooting the ball effectively. Both squads were below 35 percent shooting from the floor, further emphasizing the importance of each possession. A flurry of turnovers didn’t help, but the biggest pain point was the Owls’ frustrating night on the boards.

Houston out-rebounded Rice 50-39 and racked up a staggering 21 offensive boards. That made it all but impossible for Rice to pull away or give themselves any semblance of breathing room. It was a humbling performance against a program playing in its first games with a new head coach which looked very much so up for the challenge against the Owls, preseason picks to contend for the American Conference Championship.

Up Next: vs MTSU (Nov. 15 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball drops opener at South Dakota State

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Rice Women’s basketball didn’t get the level of offensive production they were expecting, falling to South Dakota State in their opening game.

A year ago, South Dakota State needed a furious fourth-quarter rally to spoil the Rice women’s basketball season opener at Tudor Fieldhouse, handing the Owls a loss in a game the home team had led for the vast majority of its duration. The opposite of that contest seemed to unfold in the early going in Brookings, South Dakota, on Friday night.

Rice scored the first points, but quickly fell behind. The Owls rallied to tie the game back up at the end of the first quarter thanks to five quick points from transfer Louann Battiston. The Jackrabbits kept their foot on the gas, though, growing their advantage to nine points in the second frame before another late push from the Owls resulted in a 38-34 halftime deficit for Rice.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

A three from Victoria Flores gave Rice a brief edge in the third, but a 9-2 South Dakota State rally put the Owls behind by seven, a deficit that would linger for the remainder of the quarter and stretch into the start of the fourth quarter. That’s when the offense would stall out for good.

Rice went nearly six minutes of court time without a made field goal in the final stretch as the South Dakota State lead grew to 11 and eventually 14. Unlike the last time these two teams met, there was no furious rally from the visiting team to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Rice fell to South Dakota State for the second consecutive season.

Final Box | SDSU 79, Rice 65

Key takeaway | Offense Comes Out Flat

During her comments before the season, Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds was adamant her team would play fast and shoot threes, an intentional shift from season’s prior. The Owls’ attempted 35 three pointers (and made 15 of them) in their exhibition, one shy of their season-high a year ago, seeming to convey their eagerness to fulfill Edmonds’ vision.

South Dakota State is a much more challenging opponent than Mary Hardin-Baylor, so there needs to be an adjustment made for the quality of opponent Rice faced, but even still, this wasn’t nearly as high-flying of an offensive performance as the explosive exhibition suggested would be more normative.

Rice women’s basketball averaged 20.1 three point attempts per game last season. The team attempted 16 three-pointers through three quarters and 23 in the game on Friday. Even for accounting for a late outburst while trailing, the deep ball wasn’t as frequent or effective as it needed to be for Rice to win this game. After seeing what it can be at its best in the exhibition, this offensive showing was underwhelming. Hopefully better days are ahead.

Up Next: at Houston (Nov. 11 at 6:30 pm)

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2025-2026 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

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Fifth-year head coach Lindsay Edmonds leads a Rice women’s basketball squad with high expectations that is looking to rebound from a rocky season a year ago.

The 2025-2026 Rice Women’s Basketball will look to quickly step past what was largely a disappointing season a year ago, one which began with NCAA Tournament aspirations only to end with a middling 17-17 campaign. This time, the year would not be salvaged by a conference tournament run, although the Owls certainly gave it a shot.

No, this season doesn’t come with vocal proclamations or lofty promises. Just work. At the American Conference Tipoff event, Edmonds sported a bracelet with the initials TNT, which stands for “Today, Not Tomorrow.”

In her eyes, focusing on the present will help alleviate some of those stumbles the program has gone through in prior years.

“[We have to be] making sure that we’re taking care of today. When we get to the tournament, we’ll worry about the tournament,” Edmonds said. “But making sure that we’re taking care of each and every day because all those wins are going to matter, all those games are going to matter.

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What’s Next: Rice Athletics and the House Settlement

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The House Settlement sent shockwaves through college sports. This month’s subscriber Q&A focuses on what it means for Rice Athletics.

College sports won’t be the same as they once were following the House Settlement earlier this summer, which introduces the first organized attempts at direct payments to college athletes. Every university is approaching the changes differently. What is Rice Athletics doing? That overarching curiosity is the foundation for this month’s subscriber Q&A.

Questions were edited briefly for clarity. Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Q: Is this good news or bad news for the future of Rice Athletics?

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