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Rice Women’s Basketball Drops Nailbiter to UCF

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Rice women’s basketball dropped a nailbiter to UCF in the Owls’ final game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. closing out the week 2-1.

The final Rice women’s basketball game at the Puerto Rico Shootout went down to the wire with the resilient Owls trailing for a large portion of the contest, but never backing allowing themselves to fall out of striking distance.

Aniah Alexis led all scorers with nine first-half points, keeping the margin close. She sank four free throws in the middle of the second quarter to cull a nine-point deficit and get the Owls back within four points at halftime.

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That basket or two deficit stretched into the fourth quarter before Rice mounted a final offensive. A three from Dominque Ennis and subsequent jumper from Victoria Flores gave the Owls their first lead since the early moments of the second quarter. Knights’ guard Leah Harmon would answer with seven straight points of her own, surviving a late three from Shelby Hayes to edge the Owls by one.

Rice women’s basketball falls to 5-3 on the season and 3-3 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | UCF 57, Rice 56

Key takeaway | We Have a Hayes

The emergence of Shelby Hayes in Puerto Rico was by far the most significant happening for Rice women’s basketball this week. The Owls have needed another key piece to rely on given their offseason attrition. Hayes came through in a big way in the comeback against Illinois State and Friday’s battle with UCF.

Hayes has scored in double figures in five of her last six games, the lone exception being the Morgan State blowout where her services weren’t required because of the lopsided score and she only played 17 minutes. She’s become a versatile, go-to piece in the offense that should continue to pay dividends for the Owls as the season progresses.

Up Next: vs Sam Houston (Wed. Dec. 3 at 5:30 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Edges Illinois State in OT

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Rice women’s basketball had to gut it out in overtime to earn a hard fought win over Illinois State at the Puerto Rico Shootout.

Onlookers in Puerto Rico were treated to a physical back-and-forth affair between Rice women’s basketball and Illinois State on Wednesday. The two squads were tied at the end of the first quarter and separated by just a single point at halftime.

Shelby Hayes extended the Owls’ lead to five points midway through the third frame, the largest margin by any team to that point, but the contest still never felt in hand. That was made quite apparent when Illinois State answered with a run of their own to take an eight-point advantage early in the fourth quarter.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Trailing by no small margin with less eight minutes to play, Rice went to work, leaning on free throws from Aniah Alexias and Victoria Flores with the continued impressive play of Hayes, who finished with a career-high 23-points and 15 rebounds. She was instrumental in getting the Owls out of that hole and into overtime.

Once the extra period arrived, Rice was ready. The Owls traded a few baskets before winning this game with free throws and defense. Illinois State missed all three field goals they attempted in the final minute as Rice closed out the game. Guard Dominique Ennis crossed 1,000 career points in the winning effort.

Rice women’s basketball improves to 4-2 on the season and 2-2 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 75, Illinois State 72 (OT)

What They’re Saying

“I’m so proud of this team, our toughness and grit that we showcased today was incredible. We stepped up and made shots and free throws when needed, and got big-time stops on the defensive end when the game was on the line. Dom and Shelby really showed up to lead us as seniors should on both ends of the floor.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Comeback Queens

For the second consecutive game, Rice found itself in a decently sized deficit in the fourth quarter. Rice trailed by 12 against Incarnate Word and eight to Illinois State, but found a way to come back and win both games. When we get to the end of the season, the how will be less important than the final result and team’s that can close when it matters are typically the ones that fair the best in March.

Rice women’s basketball is a long way from worrying about the end of the regular season, but it’s nice to see this team find a way to start stacking some wins. It’s proof the talent is there. They just need to find ways to maximize it.

Up Next: Puerto Rico Shootout vs Morgan State (Nov. 27 at 4:30 pm)

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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 upsets UTSA, on to AAC Semis

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Rice Women’s Basketball remains undefeated in AAC Tournament games, improving to 6-0 all time with an upset of 1-Seed UTSA.

After playing UTSA close in a pair of regular season contests, Rice women’s basketball entered their AAC Tournament quarterfinal with hopes that the third time would be the charm. While the Roadrunners led for most of the first quarter, the Owls rattled off a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to take a four-point lead into halftime.

Rice would maintain that advantage throughout the third quarter, leaning on a couple of well-timed threes from Dominque Ennis to keep UTSA at arm’s length. A free throw from Sussy Ngulefac pushed the Owls’ lead to nine, their largest of the afternoon to that point, in the closing moments of the third.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Defense

UTSA collected themselves in the changeover before the final frame began, opening the scoring with eight straight to claw back within a single point. Onlookers collectively drew in deep breaths, wondering if a fourth quarter collapse was looming or if the resilient March-tested version of Rice women’s basketball would emerge in a do-or-die moment. It was the latter.

A jumper from Aniah Alexis, sandwiched between a pair of threes from Victoria Flores turned a one-score game upside down. Up by nine points with 1:41 to play, the Owls were able to lean on their defense, knock down a few free throws, and walk away from the court with the biggest upset of the AAC Tournament thus far.

Final Box | Rice 62, UTSA 58

What They’re Saying | Post Game Press Conference

Key takeaway | Tournament Owls

Rice is undefeated in AAC Tournament games. That streak will end at some point, probably. UConn managed never to lose an AAC Tournament game, but barring historic dominance, a loss in the AAC Tournament will come. Rice is just hoping that eventual defeat holds off a while longer.

“There was a different aura about us, a different walk about us, a different talk about us,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said, reflecting on her program’s ability to flip a switch and play their best basketball in these do-or-die moments. “So “maybe it is a thing. Whatever it is, I want to bottle it up and I want to keep going for two more.”

Or, more succinctly in the words of an assistant coach to the team this week, “The Tournament Owls are back.

The version of Rice women’s basketball that took the court against UTSA on Monday afternoon sure looked like the one that was promised months ago. The team that talked about seedings and NCAA Tournament expectations had the talent and the swagger to take down a team that was receiving votes in the NCAA Top 25. But for whatever the reason, that team hasn’t shown up very often this season. Not until now.

“I think winning [the conference tournament- last year, we’ve taken a lot of that mentality. We know how to win. We know what it takes to come from the bottom and finish on the top,” she said. “We’re trying to bottle up that experience and take it with us now and finish with a ring.”

It might have been easy to look past the version of Rice women’s basketball that struggled through January and February. However, nobody is looking past the Owls right now who stand two wins away from an improbable return to the Big Dance.

Up Next: AAC Tournament Winner of 12-Seed Charlotte vs 4-Seed Temple

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Rice Women’s Basketball overwhelmed in second half by Temple

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Rice Women’s Basketball led at halftime but couldn’t keep up the pace, falling by double-digits on the road at Temple on Friday.

Temple hit the first few shots, but it was Rice women’s basketball that set the tempo on Friday night in Philadelphia. After falling behind 5-0 in the first quarter, the Rice rallied to take the lead four minutes later and quickly surged ahead on the aggressive offensive play of Aniah Alexis, who paced both teams with a game-high 12 first quarter points.

Rice maintained a multiple-possession lead through the second quarter but never grew their advantage to double digits. Temple just wouldn’t go away, eventually pulling even again midway through the third quarter on a 9-2 run that brought the score to a deadlock at 42 points apiece. That’s when the momentum began to swing in favor of the hometown Owls in earnest.

More: Rice Football: 2025 Recruiting Class Analysis — Defense

After leading for the better portion of two quarters, Rice found itself trailing at the onset of the fourth quarter, falling even further behind when Temple opened the period with six straight points to go in front by 10, the largest lead be either side at that point in the contest. The onslaught wouldn’t stop there.

Interrupted by one layup from Trinity Gooden, Temple went on a fresh 9-0 run, ballooning the lead to 17 points and putting the game on ice before stretching their advantage to as many as 22 points. After controlling much of the early moments of this game, Rice would be outscored 50-25 in the second half, falling to 7-10 in AAC play and 14-15 overall.

Final Box | Temple 83, Rice 63

Key takeaway | Battle on the boards

One statistic doesn’t often tell the full story, but the Owls’ second half slump coincided quite clearly with a shift in their success rebounding, or lack thereof. For all their struggles this season, Rice had out-rebounded their opponents in 14 of their 16 conference games to date. That level of consistency appeared to be on track after the first half with Rice winning the rebounding battle 25 to 19 at halftime.

The second half was an entirely different story, though. Temple outrebounded Rice 17-11 in the second half and instead of losing this fight rather handily as the first half had suggested, actually matched Rice on the boards, 36 to 36. That changed the entire complexion of the game, disrupting the Owls’ offensive flow and thwarting any chance of a second half comeback.

Rice women’s’ basketball is 3-6 this season when losing the rebounding battle.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Tues, 3/4)

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