The source for Rice sports news

Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls come from behind to clinch CUSA Title Game berth

By

Rice women’s basketball clinched a berth in the Conference USA Tournament Championship Game, coming from behind to beat Western Kentucky.

Few teams have tested Rice like Western Kentucky did on Friday night. The 1-seed had just dispatched North Texas by 19 the day before, but looked almost mortal through the first half of the semifinal against the Hilltoppers. The Owls watched their opponents go on a 15-0 run, erasing a 5-point advantage and putting the tournament favorites in a 10-point hole.

Rice could have stumbled through the rest of that arduous second quarter. Instead they rallied, cutting the deficit to five points by the halftime buzzer. Back within reach, the second half was an entirely different story.

Conference USA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike took over. Jasmine Smith drilled a three to give Rice the lead on the final shot of the third quarter, then it really was all Owls.

Rice went on an 11-0 run, pulling away down the stretch. At one point, Ogwumike had made 10 straight points for the Owls who kept a two score margin through the fourth quarter. Western Kentucky tried to extend the game with free throws, but the result was never in doubt with Rice winning by a final score of 64-57.

Ogwumike finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Sydne Wiggins was next in scoring with 11. Although she was held without a bucket, Nicole Iademarco came through with eight rebounds.

Up Next (Bracket)

Rice will play the winner of Friday’s late tip between Middle Tennesse and UAB on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Conference USA Tournament Championship Game. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Rice beat Middle Tennesse 60-47 on the road earlier this season. Two days later they traveled to Birmingham and topped UAB 55-43.

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

Recent Posts

Conference USA Tournament Day 2 Recap

By

The Conference USA Basketball Tournament is underway at the Star in Frisco, Tx. Here’s how the second day of action played out.

And then there were eight. The quarterfinals have come to a close in Frisco and, for the most part, it’s been nearly all chalk up to this point. We’ll see if anyone can upset the status quo on Friday.

Conference USA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

1. Old Dominion def 8. Louisiana Tech, 57-56
5. UAB def 4. UTSA, 85-76
2. Western Kentucky def 10. North Texas, 67-51
3. Southern Miss def 6. Marshall, 82-73

Wrapping up Day 3

It literally took a full 40 minutes for 1-Seed Old Dominion to survive an advance, knocking off 8-Seed Louisiana Tech on a last-second three to pull ahead. The Monarchs haven’t advanced to the finals of the conference tournament as a top four seed yet, despite being the 3-seed in 2015 and 2017 and the 2-seed in 2018. 1-Seed haven’t fared well in this tournament recently, making Thursday’s scare all the more real.

Thursday Schedule

1. Old Dominion vs 5. UAB – 12:30 pm on CBS Sports Network
2. Western Kentuck vs 3. Southern Miss – 3 pm on CBS Sports Network

Conference USA Women’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

1. Rice def 9. North Texas, 61-43
4. Western Kentucky def 5. Old Dominion, 74-60
2. UAB  def 7. Charlotte, 70-55
3. MTSU def 11. UTEP, 66-44

Wrapping up Day 3

On the heels of a double-overtime game on Wednesday, the women’s bracket produced minimal excitement in the quarterfinals. All four top seed advanced, winning by double-digits.

Rice allowed North Texas to stick around for a half before pulling away late to win by a comfortable margin while MTSU took a 43-21 lead into halftime and never looked back. The action should be much closer when the conference’s best teams meet on the hardwood on Friday.

Thursday Schedule

4. Western Kentucky vs 1. Rice – 5:30 pm on Stadium
3. MTSU vs 2. UAB – 8:00 pm on Stadium

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

Recent Posts

WBB: Owls run away from North Texas in CUSA Tournament opener

By

Rice Women’s basketball continued their undefeated conference march, pulling away from North Texas in the second round of the Conference USA Tournament.

A week removed from their final game of the regular season, Rice came out a bit rusty in their CUSA Tournament Second Round game. North Texas hung around for the first half, but the outcome was never really in doubt as the 1-Seed Rice held serve in their first game of the CUSA Tournament.

Any thoughts of an upset by the 9-Seed North Texas were rooted in eight first half turnovers from Rice. Those eight giveaways led to eight points for North Texas and were a large reason the 30-22 halftime advantage wasn’t weighted more heavily in the Owls’ favor.

As the offense slowly clicked into gear the physical presence of Nancy Mulkey on both sides of the court kept the Owls’ opponents from getting into any semblance of a rhythm. She led the Owls with 20 points and six blocks, knocking down all six of her free throws. When she was on the court, North Texas didn’t have an answer.

CUSA Player of the Year Erica Ogwumike commanded the offense efficiently. She had 15 points, highlighted by a few bold cuts to the basket for quick points. Her 10 rebounds netted her another double-double, her eighth in the Owls’ last 10 games.

Rice stretched an eight-point halftime lead to as many as 21, edging North Texas in all four quarters on their way to a 61-43 victory. This was the sixth consecutive game in which Rice held their opponents below 50 points.

It wasn’t the most inspiring game Rice has played to this point, but even with the slow start this team never looked fazed or worried. Defeating any one opponent three times in a single season is a chore. Rice answered the challenge with a quiet confidence. With the win, the Owls are one step closer to a CUSA Tournament Title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Up Next (Bracket)

Next Rice will play Western Kentucky who beat Old 74-60 in Wednesday’s early game on Court B. Rice beat Western Kentucky comfortably on the road, winning 68-46.

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

Recent Posts

Conference USA Tournament Day 1 Recap

By

The Conference USA Basketball Tournament is underway at the Star in Frisco, Tx. Here’s how the first day of action played out.

Conference USA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

8. Louisiana Tech def 9. FAU, 57-56
5. UAB def 12. MTSU, 70-61
10. North Texas def 7. FIU, 71-57
6. Marshall def 11. Rice, 82-65

Wrapping up Day 1

For the most part, chalk held on the first day of the men’s tournament with one notable exception. North Texas put together one of their most complete showings of the season, outpacing a solid FIU team from start to finish — the same FIU team which beat North Texas by 15 points in the final game of the regular season. Umoja Gibson and Zachary Simmons led the way for North Texas, scoring 21 and 19 points, respectively.

Elsewhere, Marshall’s Jon Elmore continued his torrid scoring pace. He tallied 32 points against Rice and probably could have had more if he’d not seen some time on the bench because of foul trouble and a sizable second half lead.

The most impressive play? How about this three-quarter court dime?

Thursday Schedule

8. Louisiana Tech vs 1. Old Dominion – 6 pm on Stadium
5. UAB vs 4. UTSA – 6:30 pm on Facebook
10. North Texas vs 2. Western Kentucky – 8:30 pm on Stadium
6. Marshall vs 3. Southern Miss – 9 pm on Facebook

Conference USA Women’s Basketball Tournament

Wednesday Scores

9. North Texas def 8. Southern Miss, 49-46
5. Old Dominion def 12. FAU, 60-32
7. Charlotte def 10. Louisiana Tech, 55-46
11. UTEP def 6. Marshall, 64-56 (2OT)

Wrapping up Day 1

UTEP was the story hear, stunning 6-seed Marshall in a double overtime thriller. The Miners had nine wins in the regular season, five in conference play. Despite the tough year, UTEP made their shots when it counted most. Three Miners finished with double-digit points and the underdog won the rebound battle 56-39.

The gap between the top teams and the lower seeds in the women’s bracket is expected to be fairly significant. We’ll see if another upset is sprung on Thursday when powers like undefeated Rice begin their tournament action.

Thursday Schedule

9. North Texas vs 1. Rice- 11 am on Stadium
5. Old Dominion vs 4. Western Kentucky – 11:30 am on ESPN+
7. Charlotte vs 2. UAB – 1:30 pm on Stadium
11. UTEP vs 3. MTSU – 2:00 pm on ESPN+

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

Recent Posts

Conference USA Basketball Tournament: Men’s and Women’s Previews

By

Both Rice basketball teams qualified for the Conference USA Basketball Tournament in Frisco, Tx. Here’s a preview of the action.

Men’s Tournament – The Bracket

The Favorite: Old Dominion

After taking down Western Kentucky and UTSA, the Monarchs faded in the final two games of pod play. Their losses to Southern Miss and UAB are certainly a concern, but there was a reason this team was the only CUSA squad to win more than 20 games.

Even after dropping their final two regular season games, Old Dominion still owns a 13-5 conference record. They also beat Southern Miss and UAB earlier in the season. Led by guards B.J. Smith and Ahmad Carver, they’re going to shoot well and score a lot of points.

The Sleeper: Marshall

Marshall was one of the few teams to beat Old Dominion in the regular and could be the hottest squad in the conference in March. The Herd have won five straight, sweeping comfortably through pod play.

Champions over Western Kentucky last season, the core of the Herd lineup remains intact. Jon Elmore and C.J. Burks are once again one and two in scoring. Freshman Taevion Kinsey has come on strong lately with strong shooting performances and double-digit points in all of the Herd’s pod play victories.

The case for Rice

Unlike in other years, there is no dominant force in Conference USA. The 12-seed, Middle Tennessee, and the 1-seed, Old Dominion, are separated by five games in the standings. Four different teams, including Rice, enter Frisco 8-10 in conference play. By and large, the standings are fairly tight outside of Charlotte and UTEP, who failed to make the tournament.

Rice has proven on multiple occasions this year their best is good enough to beat even the upper end teams in CUSA. The Owls own wins over both Marshall and Southern Miss, the highest seeds on their side of the bracket and they fell to 2-seed Western Kentucky in double overtime.

The Owls haven’t been able to string together 40-minutes of top-level basketball with much consistency this year, but they have had their moments. If this team gets it in gear, they’re capable of beating anyone in this tournament.

Women’s Tournament – The Bracket

The Favorite: Rice

They say there’s a reason the games are played on the court and not a computer, but it’s hard to envision any amount of variation knocking the Owls off their perch atop Conference USA. They didn’t slow down in the final weeks of the regular season, and perhaps got even better, posting dominant wins over everyone they’ve met in March to this point.

If the season ended today, there’s a strong argument Rice is deserving of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Two wins in Frisco should seal the deal, but these ladies have their eyes set on cutting down the nets for a reason.

The Sleeper: Old Dominion

Old Dominion was neck and neck with Rice early on in conference play before Rice beat them in their lone head to head pairing of the season. Still, it was the Monarchs who gave the Owls their closest scare.

The challenger turned the game into a defensive slugfest, matching the physicality of Rice and holding the home team to 28.3 percent shooting from the field. Rice would go on to win by six points, but failed to score 50 points for the only time this season. To win this tournament you’ll have to go through Rice. Old Dominion has the best shot, albeit a distant one.

The case for Rice

Ranked for the first time in school history, this Rice team is special. In good games and in bad games, they find a way to win. Their defense is extraordinary and tenacious and the offense continually gets the ball in the hands of their most reliable players.

Rice might not have been tested to the same degree as some of their opponents they’ll face in Frisco. Rarely did Rice find themselves in a single-digit game in the fourth quarter, but when they did they came out on top. The chalk pick by most every expert, Rice is the prohibitive favorite to cut down the nets.

Schedule – Men / Women

First Round

Rice Men: Wednesday, March 13 at 9 p.m. vs Marshall – ESPN+
Rice Women: Bye

Second Round

Rice Men: TBD
Rice Women: Thursday, March 14 at 11 a.m. – opponent TBD – Watch Stadium

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

Recent Posts