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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 15 – 2019 Southern Miss Review, Marshall Preview

October 31, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Homecoming is here for Rice Football as they prepare for Marshall in Week 10. Carter and Matthew preview that game and take one last look at Southern Miss.

It was another mixed bag for Rice football this past weekend against Southern Miss. The Owls looked fantastic on defense and woeful on offense. They’ll have plenty of work to do before their upcoming game, homecoming against Marshall. Carter and Matthew work through all of that in this week’s episode.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 15 below.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode 15 Notes

  • News and notes —  Rice Men’s Basketball starts up on Oct. 31. The women’s basketball team follows on Nov. 5. Make sure to check out our interview with Denver Broncos’ offensive lineman Calvin Anderson on a special edition of The Roost Podcast.
  • Southern Miss Review — Another extremely poorly timed turnover turned this game quickly. We hit on the changes the offense is making and the options at quarterback. From there, we discuss the rise of the Rice defense and detail how they’ve gotten so good so quickly.
  • Marshall Preview — Marshall is going to try and match the Owls’ physicality on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Isaiah Green’s play has been good this year, but he hasn’t taken the sophomore leap many had hoped he would. The Rice offense keeping pace with Green and Co. will be crucial to how this game goes. More importantly, can the Owls score enough points on offense to support their elite-level defense?

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Football, Archive, Podcast, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Game preview, game recap, podcast, Rice Football

2019-2020 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

October 12, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2019-2020 Rice women’s basketball season is fast approaching. Here’s a rundown of the Owls’ squad bent on returning to the NCAA Tournament this season.

The last time the Rice women’s basketball team took the court they left it with a sour taste in their mouths. The Owls led Marquette in a first round NCAA Tournament game by nine points with minutes left in regulation. Rather than advance to the next round, a rematch with the Texas A&M Aggies, the Owls faltered and saw their storybook season end in overtime.

There has been plenty of time for soul searching since that game. A new season is right around the corner, one which this team hopes will end much later in March than the last. Here’s a bit more on the coach, the players, the roster, and what to expect from this team in 2019 and beyond.

The Coach – Tina Langley

Upon the completion of last season, Rice signed Langley to a five-year extension. The reigning Conference USA coach of the year led the Owls to their first-ever ranking in the AP and Coaches Poll, a perfect regular season in conference play and set program records with 21 consecutive wins and 28 total victories in a season.

Rice women’s basketball has been on the upswing since Langley took over prior to the 2015-2016 season. The Owls have seen their overall win total and conference win totals increase each subsequent season, finishing last season with a sterling 28-4 record. As long as Langley is at the helm, the future for Rice women’s basketball remains extremely bright.

Last Season Snapshot

With center Nancy Mulkey sidelined by injury, Rice lost their first two games of the 2018-2019 season to No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 23 UCLA. Following their 0-2 start, the team won 28 of their next 29 games. A road loss to North Carolina in mid-December was their only blemish during the remainder of the regular season.

More: Rice Men’s Basketball Season Preview

Rice won all 16 of their conference games, only one of which was decided by less than 10 points. The Owls stayed perfect in three Conference USA Basketball Tournament games, rallying to take down Middle Tennessee to secure the Tournament Championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, their first trip to the Big Dance in 14 years.

The Schedule

Rice Women’s Basketball Marquee Games and Key Dates

Nov. 5, 2019 – Season opener vs Nicholls State
Nov. 17, 2019 – Owls host Texas A&M at Tudor Fieldhouse
Nov. 23, 2019 – Owls visit Oklahoma State
Dec. 20-21, 2019 – 2019 Puerto Rico Classic vs Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech
Jan. 2, 2020 – Conference USA opener vs Marshall
Feb. 22, 2020 – Conference USA bonus play begins

You can find the complete 2019-2020 Rice basketball schedule here.

Projected Starters

PLAYER MP PTS TRB AST STL BLK
Erica Ogwumike 32.4 16.5 10.5 2.7 1.6 0.3
Nancy Mulkey 26.3 13.9 5.8 1.3 0.7 3.9
Sydne Wiggins 28.5 6.9 2.5 2.4 1.0 0.2
Jasmine Smith 27.5 6.1 2.3 2.3 0.9 0.3
Haylee Swayze 13.1 4.3 1.6 0.4 0.3 0.3

The Returning Players

No. 2 – Sydne Wiggins, Guard (Jr.)

5-foot-11

A returning starter and one of the Owls’ foremost returning outside shooters, Wiggins was one four different players to make more than 20 shots from beyond the arc. She finished second on the team in steals, proving to be as dangerous without the ball in her hands as she was when she was knocking down shots.

No. 10 – Jasmine Smith, Guard (So.)

5-foot-7

The only freshman to start every game for Rice last season, Smith was a shutdown defender. Her efforts on opposing shooters helped the lead Owls’ to the No. 1 scoring defense in the conference, allowing 52.8 points per game. She frequently turned her defensive efforts into offensive successes and tied Wiggins with 30 steals.

No. 11 – Haylee Swayze, Guard (So.)

5-foot-11

Swayze was a prominent member of a promising freshman class who saw some action in 28 of 32 games, averaging 13.1 minutes per contest. After the five starters and sixth woman Lauren Grigsby, Swayze was one of the more active bench players for Rice last season. When she was called upon, she made a difference from behind the three-point line with 22 long-range buckets.

No. 13 – Erica Ogwumike, Guard (Sr.)

5-foot-9

Conference USA Female Athlete of the Year Erica Ogwumike was the catalyst on both ends of the court for this team last season. Since transferring to Rice from Pepperdine following the 2015-2016 season, Ogwumike has been nearly unstoppable at South Main. She tallied a double-double (18 times) more often than she didn’t and led the conference in rebounds. Her leadership and talent have been instrumental in the Owls’ recent success.

No. 21 – Arianna McCurry, Center (So.)

6-foot-6

McCurry saw most of her action before the Owls got into the heart of Conference USA action. She played a career-high 10 minutes against McNeese State and scored six points in five minutes against FAU, a game in which she also tallied a pair of blocks and three rebounds.

No. 23 – Alexah Chrisman, Center (Jr.)

6-foot-2

Chrisman saw most of her action as the primary backup to starting center Nancy Mulkey. Seven inches shorter than Mulkey, Chrisman wasn’t the same caliber shot blocker, but she provided a physical presence in the paint and was a trustworthy conduit for the offense and defense when Mulkey needed a breather.

No. 24 – Temi Alao, Center (So.)

5-foot-10

Injuries kept Alao from seeing the court as a true freshman, but she played in 18 games as a redshirt sophomore in the 2018-2019 campaign. The bulk of her involvement came at the beginning of the season, including a career-high 24 minutes against Texas A&M. She had three or more rebounds in nine appearances.

No. 25 – Kendall Ellig, Forward (Jr.)

6-foot-1

Ellig played a reserve role for the Owls last season, seeing a few minutes here and there throughout conference play. She played in 13 C-USA games, but never tallied more than nine minutes, playing less than three minutes seven times in those contests. She scored in four games and had a career-best four rebounds against FAU.

No. 32 – Nancy Mulkey, Center (Jr.)

6-foot-9

Mulkey is the tallest player in women’s college basketball. Every time she takes the court she gives Rice a mismatch no other team in the country can counteract. When healthy, Mulkey is the difference-maker that separates Rice from their competition, leading the NCAA in blocks per game and setting the school record with 94 blocked shots last season.

The New Additions

Rice signed five players in their 2019 recruiting class, which ranked first in Conference USA.

No. 3 – Katelyn Crosthwait, Guard (Fr.)

5-foot-10

Crosthwait averaged 24 points per game as a junior, one year removed from being named a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist. She can shoot from close range and from distance and create opportunities for others with the basketball.

No. 5 – Destiny Jackson, Guard (Fr.)

5-foot-9

The only native Texan in the class, Jackson hails from Mansfield Texas. She was named to the 2018 UIL All-Tournament team following her senior season.

No. 12 – India Bellamy, Forward (Fr.)

6-foot-1

A small forward out of McDonough, Georgia, Bellamy is can score from the wing and play great defense. She was the GACA South Junior All-Star MVP.

No. 15 – Lauren Schwartz, Forward (Fr.)

5-foot-11

Scwartz led her school to their first regional championship in program history, finishing the year with 29 victories. The MVP of Kentucky’s 9th region, Schwartz is an elite scorer with more than enough athleticism to win on the boards.

No. 22 – Ashlee Austin, Forward (Fr.)

6-foot-0

Austin averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in her senior season. From Johns Creek, Georgia, she was the 2017-2018 Region 7-6A Player of the Year and an AJC First Team All-State selection.


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Filed Under: Featured, Basketball, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Erica Ogwumike, Jasmine Smith, Nancy Mulkey, Rice Women's basketball, Sydne Wiggins

2019-2020 Rice Basketball Season Preview

October 10, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2019-2020 Rice basketball season is fast approaching. Here’s a rundown of the Owls’ squad which looks to take a step forward this coming season.

You’ll hear the word consistency thrown around a lot at Tudor Fieldhouse this season. This new incarnation of Rice basketball will look to fix that nagging thorn from a year ago and take the next step in their quest for Conference USA Basketball supremacy.

The group tasked with taking that next step is a year wiser and a year more experienced. Ako Adams and Chis Mullins will be the heartbeat, with weapons like Trey Murphy to pick teams apart from long range and Robert Martin to patrol the paint. The bench is deep and should be more action this season. Here’s a bit more on the coach, the players, the roster, and what to expect from this team in 2019 and beyond.

The Coach – Scott Pera

This upcoming season will be the third for Scott Pera as the head coach of Rice basketball and his sixth season at South Main — Pera was an assistant with the Owls from 2014 to 2017 before being promoted to the head chair prior to the 2017-2018 season.

Pera’s first season was a reboot as the team worked to rebuild a roster. He went from 7-24 that year to 13-19 last year improving from 4-14 in Conference USA play to 8-10 this past season. Now he’ll be tasked with taking one more step with a roster which returns most of its key players, with the exception of departed senior Jack Williams and transferee Quentin Millora-Brown.

Last Season Snapshot

After weathering a fairly challenging nonconference slate which included games at Houston, BYU and Wichita State, the Owls were more or less a .500 club the rest of the way. Rice was fourth in the conference in scoring (74.0 points per game) but 12th in scoring defense (77.5).

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

The Owls relied on the third-best clip from three-point range among C-USA teams (34.8 percent) but did not do a good job protecting the basketball. Their -2.34 turnover margin ranked 11th in the conference. Much of the turnover issues seemed to stem from young players learning on the job, something Rice hopes to improve with a full year of experience under the belts of their most important contributors.

The Schedule

Rice Basketball Marquee Games and Key Dates

Oct. 31, 2019 – Exhibition vs St Edwards
Nov. 5, 2019 – Season opener at Arkansas
Nov. 9, 2019 – Home opener vs Penn
Nov. 19, 2019 – Owls host Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse
Nov. 22, 2019 – 2019 Islands of the Bahamas Showcase
Jan. 2, 2020 – Conference USA opener at Marshall
Jan. 9, 2020 – Conference USA home opener vs FAU
Feb. 22, 2020 – Conference USA bonus play begins

You can find the complete 2019-2020 Rice basketball schedule here.

Projected Starters

PLAYER MP PTS TRB AST STL BLK
Ako Adams 27.3 11.2 2.6 2.6 0.6 0
Chris Mullins 28.8 12 2.8 2.7 1.2 0.1
Trey Murphy III 20.6 8.4 2.6 0.7 0.5 0.5
Robert Martin 25.6 12.2 6.2 1.7 0.9 0.3
Josh Parrish 19.8 6.3 2.8 1.1 0.7 0.5

The Returning Players

No. 0 – Payton Moore, Guard (So.)

6-foot-4, 205 pounds

Moore was a rotation player for the Owls last season who averaged 11 minutes per game. He appeared in all but one contest, doing well on the glass when he was on the court, averaging a little more than three rebounds per appearance.

No. 1 – Josh Parrish, Guard (R-Jr.)

6-foot-4, 215 pounds

Parrish alternated between being the team’s sixth man and a starting role last season. He leads all returning players in field goal percentage (.504) and was accurate from an impressive 61.3 percent of his two-point shots. His role could increase this season considering the minutes vacated by Jack Williams.

No. 2 – Trey Murphy III, Guard (So.)

6-foot-8, 200 pounds

The Owls are excited about the growth of sophomore sharpshooter Trey Murphy. He attempted and made at least one three-point shot in 29 of 32 games, knocking down three or more on 12 separate occasions including five of seven at home against UAB last January.

No. 3 – Ako Adams, Guard (Sr.)

6-foot-3, 175 pounds

A senior leader for this relatively young team, Ako Adams is going to be one of the two players trusted to handle the ball on the majority of Rice possessions. Adams is a career .359 three point shooter who started to heat up during conference play last year where he hit  40 percent of his shots from distance. He finished one shy of Chris Mullins for the team lead in assists.

No. 5 – Addison Owen, Guard (Sr.)

6-foot-5, 195 pounds

Owen made two appearances off the bench for Rice last season and has appeared in nine games during his three-year career with the Owls. He was one of two players on the team named to the NABC Honors Court which honors academic achievements for student athletes. He is expected to hold a similarly limited role this coming season.

No. 10 – Robert Martin, Forward (Sr.)

6-foot-6, 220 pounds

Coach Pera has identified Martin as a key leader on the team alongside Ako Adams. Although Martin only started one game last season, his presence was felt in almost every contest. He led the team in total scoring. His 25.6 minutes played per game were third-most among returning players and he topped all returning Owls with 197 rebounds (4.8 per game).

No. 23 – Drew Peterson, Guard/Forward (So.)

6-foot-8, 185 pounds

Peterson was another player who saw his time wax back and forth between starter and key reserve last season. No matter the role, he served as a rebound presence for the Owls when he was on the court. He grabbed 106 boards and had a keen eye on what to do with the ball when he got it in his hands, racking up 49 assists along the way.

No. 24 – Chris Mullins, Guard (So.)

6-foot-3, 190 pounds

The complement to Ako Adams, Mullins’ role grew significantly as last season progressed. Mullins was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team, just the sixth Rice player to ever receive that designation. He’s an excellent facilitator and someone the Owls will rely on to coordinate their efforts on the offensive side of the court this season.

No. 35 – Tim Harrison, Forward (Sr.)

6-foot-8, 220 pounds

Harrison appeared in 14 games last season, averaging just shy of a point per game. Alongside Addison Owen, Harrison was also named to the NABC Honors Court. He’ll continue to be a reserve player for this team going forward

The New Additions

No. 13 – Tommy McCarthy, Guard (Gr.)

6-foot-1, 175 pounds

Joining the Owls by way of Harvard, McCarthy hopes to be the next grad transfer to make a name for himself at South Main. Jack Williams, who came to Rice from Pacific, became a fixture in the Owls’ lineup in his lone season at Rice. Williams started every game, averaging 9.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. McCarthy started 26 games in three healthy seasons with the Crimson, highlighted by a strong freshman season in which he averaged 24.8 minutes and 8.8 points per game.

No. 15 – Max Fiedler, Forward (Fr.)

6-foot-10, 235 pounds

The tallest man on the roster eligible to play this season, Fiedler committed to the Owls in the fall. With Quentin Millora-Brown transferring to Vanderbilt in the offseason, Fiedler could carve out a role of some sort based on his athletic profile alone.

No. 20 – Zach Crisler, Forward (Fr.)

6-foot-9, 215 pounds

Another member of the 2019 signing class, Crisler is an intriguing stretch forward who could wear a number of hats for the Owls. Rice beat out prominent programs like Penn State and TCU to secure his services. Crisler is continuing to get bigger and stronger, both aspects which will help him find a way to contribute.

No. 4 – Quincy Olivari, Guard (Fr.)

6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Olivari, Crisler and Fiedler were all Top 500 recruits with Olivari checking in nearest the top of the ranks as the No. 430 prospect in the nation and the N0. 23 player in the state of Georgia. This combo guard is going to help Rice push the pace on both ends and is dangerous when he does decide to spot up and shoot.

No. 12 – Ben Moffat, Forward (Fr.)

6-foot-8, 225 pounds

Moffat is a priority walk-on excited for his opportunity to be a part of the team. “Every player has to work hard,” he says, “but as a  walk-on, I’ll need to work harder than anybody else. I need to be the first one at practice and the last one to leave, and that’s something I’m prepared to do.”

No. 14 – Reed Myers, Guard (Fr.)

6-foot-0, 180 pounds

A First Team 2A All-State selection and Metro Region First Team Offensive Player of the Year out of Scottsdale Christian Academy in Arizona, Myers is going to bring some offensive punch to the team. Myers excelled at a small school and will be ready to take on a new challenge with the Owls this season.

Malik Ondigo, Forward (Jr.)

6-foot-10, 215 pounds

Ondigo signed with the Owls in June after spending the last two seasons at Texas Tech. He appeared in 14 games as a freshman, setting season highs in points (six) and rebounds (four) against Iowa State. He had an increased role in 2018, playing in 18 games for the Red Raiders who advanced to the Final Four and the National Championship Game. His best outing last year came against Mississippi Valley State where he scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.


Enjoy The Roost? Consider supporting our coverage of the Owls and Rice basketball through a purchase at The Roost Shop or making a one-time donation.


Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Featured, Basketball, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Addison Owen, Ako Adams, Ben Moffat, Chris Mullins, Drew Peterson, Josh Parrish, Malik Ondigo, Max Fiedler, Payton Moore, Quincy Olivari, Reed Myers, Rice basketball, Robert Martin, Tim Harrison, Tommy McCarthy, Trey Murphy, Zach Crisler

Rice WBB: Poise, pressure and trying to move on

March 23, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice women’s basketball saw their season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion by way of an overtime loss to Marquette in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls look to learn and move on.

With 2:54 remaining on the fourth quarter clock Erica Ogwumike drained a three point shot that sent the largely pro-Rice crowd at Reed Arena into a frenzy. After going back and forth with Marquette, the Owls had seemingly broken things wide open. The nine-point lead was the largest margin by either side that day. Rice could almost taste their first NCAA Tournament victory in nearly 20 years.

Unfortunately for coach Tina Langley’s young squad, they’ll have to wait at least one more year. The veteran-laden Golden Eagles were not afraid of the moment, forcing overtime and going on to win by a final score of 58-54. It was Ogwumike herself who seemed to take the loss the hardest after the game. “I think a lot of the things that we messed up were in our hands,” she said, “poise was the thing we were missing toward the end.”

RECAP: Rice women’s basketball drops overtime slugfest to Marquette in NCAA Tournament

Poise. An easy self-possessed assurance of manner according to Merriam Webster. More specifically, the overflowing of the only thing this team was missing entering the NCAA Tournament for their first times — experience. Rice had practiced the situational drills. They knew what to do in every situation. But when Ogwumike hit that fourth quarter three, their collective poise dissipated at the worst possible time.

Credit the Owls with this. They didn’t lose their poise for long. It less than two minutes of game time the 9-0 Marquette run was over. Rice had the basketball with enough time to take the potential game-winning shot. It ricocheted out. The Owls would go on to lose in overtime, an extra period which they probably could have avoided had it not been for the brief lack of composure that allowed Marquette to tie the game.

Learning the hard way

“Any time you have experience, you’re going to learn from it. And we will learn from this game” Langley said in her postgame comments. Those two minutes of uncertainty will stick with this team all offseason and into 2020. They will learn from it, and Langley remains as confident as ever they’re on the right track. “I think the future is very bright,” she added, this is a very young team and really talented team. So we know that we can continue to compete at this level for a long time.”

In overtime, the shots fell for Marquette and not for Rice. The Owls had a few hurried looks, but even their best drawn up possessions ended in layups that bounced off the suddenly miniature basket. Poise or not, a more fortunate bounce here or there could have swung the outcome of this game.

That’s part of what makes this loss so frustrating. Even with the miscues, Rice could have won. “I think it also gives you a little bit of hunger when you’ve had the chance to be there,” Langley explained,” We talked about this in the locker room, how we went from a team that had no post‑season to WBI champions to being in the NIT and NCAA. It is just hard to skip steps in life.”

Perhaps for Rice, this really will be an unskippable, character building step on the journey to something more. The underdog who went toe-to-toe with the Big East regular season champs came up feeling scorned. Like they should be moving on in the Tournament, not going home emptyhanded.

The floor has been raised

Call it a lack of poise. Call it bad luck. Either way, it’s safe to say this season did not end the way Rice had hoped it would, largely because of the stratospheric expectations this program had engendered over the last five months.

Rice set a myriad of program bests, going a perfect 16-0 in conference play, winning 21 games in a row and finishing the season perfect at Tudor Fieldhouse. Ogwumike was named CUSA Player of the Year. Nancy Mulkey was named CUSA Tournament MVP. Lauren Grigsby was named CUSA Sixth Person of the Year.

The reason this team is disappointed in a loss to a Top 20 team is partly because Rice ended the season ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll, the highest rank in school history. A feat in itself considering being ranked in the first place was also a first, achieved by this year’s squad.

The future is bright

The potential of this group of women is astronomical. They proved it all season long, and now they’ll go into the offseason with new experience and an even greater drive. Grigsby, Shani Rainey and Nicole Iademarco will be moving on, but Rice has plenty of pieces to make another run in 2020. And that’s exactly what they plan to do.

“Sometimes you can have a special group of people that can take you a little farther than you anticipate,” Langley said as she wrapped up her postgame thoughts. She wasn’t referring directly to next year’s team, but the undercurrent theme of rising about expectations syncs perfectly with this team’s experience. They did go further than most anticipated. And they’re ready to take the next steps. It’ll just have to wait until 2020.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Filed Under: Basketball, Archive, Featured, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Erica Ogwumike, Nancy Mulkey, NCAA Tournament, Rice Women's basketball

WBB: Owls drop NCAA slugfest vs Marquette in OT

March 22, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice women’s basketball went toe-to-toe with the Big East regular season champion Marquette but came up just short in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2005.

At 1:oo p.m. on Friday afternoon the pregame festivities came to a close and the lights turned on, shining brighter on Rice women’s basketball than they had all year. A scattered crowd of blues, maroons and trace amounts of gold filled Reed Arena in College Station, a host site for the first and second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. The ball was tipped, the pageantry was put aside, and Rice went back to what they know best — basketball.

Rice controlled the first tip and, despite being the lower-seeded team, looked every bit the equal of Marquette from the start. Eric Ogwumike opened the scoring with a corner three to give the Owls the lead which they maintained throughout the first 10 minutes of play. Marquette, who averaged 82.9 points per game this season, was held to eight points in the first quarter.

The Golden Eagles leveled the score in the second quarter before taking a one-point advantage into half. Trailing 20-19 at the break, Rice didn’t seem like much on an underdog.  Nancy Mulkey was patroling the paint. The Owls had a host of shooters who’d gotten off to slow starts and Rice looked like they belonged. They just needed to finish.

Down, but not out

For the third game in a row, Rice trailed at halftime. And for the third game in a row, coach Tina Langley’s team made adjustments and executed. Rice started the third quarter on a 6-0 run as both teams heated up from the field. Ogwumike, Mulkey and Sydne Wiggins made some big shots to hold the lead, setting the team up for an all-important fourth quarter.

Rice would extend the lead to as many as nine before Marquette clawed back. Each team had their chance to win the game in regulation. Mulkey blocked Marquette’s last shot in the fourth quarter. That set up an inbound play with less than a second to play. Shani Rainey would get a shot off at the buzzer but it bounced off the rim.

Maquette would take an early lead in overtime and the Rice offense stalled. Eight total points were scored after regulation. Rice made one basket. At the final buzzer, Rice had been outscored for the first time in 2019, 58-54.

An incredible season comes to an end 

Survive and advance is the steady drumbeat of the NCAA Tournament. 64 teams entered. By the end of the day on Saturday, only 32 will be going home. After falling in the first round, the Owls’ season, too, has come to an end. Reaching the big dance is an accomplishment in itself — one that the previous 13 Rice women’s basketball teams had failed to achieve.

The “what if”s and “if only” questions will linger, but those won’t change the tremendous successes this group has accomplished. And they’re not done just yet. The core players on this team are underclassmen. Ogwumike and Mulkey, who combined for 40 points and 17 rebounds with both be back, ready to make another run at a championship in 2020.

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Filed Under: Basketball, Archive, Featured, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Erica Ogwumike, Nancy Mulkey, Rice Women's basketball

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