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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls top LA Tech with Ogwumike sidelined

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Rice Women’s Basketball was without their star guard but still managed to blow past Louisiana Tech. The Owls are a perfect 5-0 in Conference USA play.

Rice women’s basketball had won in a variety of ways on their way to a C-USA leading 24-game winning streak. They’d blown out countless teams and played close contests with others. But they’d never won without their best player on the court — they hadn’t had to.

The white and blue-clad Owls showed no timidity when they took the court without Erica Ogwumike on Thursday night against Louisiana Tech. The senior guard had suffered an injury against FIU that kept her sidelined against Louisiana Tech. She did not dress for the game and has no official timetable on her return. However, the expectation remains she’ll be back sooner rather than later.

If that wasn’t enough, the team was hit with sickness during the week. Rice dressed a half dozen players for their first practice of the week and had to send coaches and players home to rest. “We were barely able to practice,” head coach Tina Langely said postgame, not as an excuse, but as a credit to the performance her shorthanded squad had put together against a conference foe.

With Ogwumike out, there were some jitters. Rice had a few shot clock violations and lost possessions early on, clearly impacted by the loss of their primary ballhandler. What never wavered was their defense. Rice has now held 15 of their last 24 (and three of their last five) C-USA opponents to 50 points or fewer. Louisiana Tech shot a season-low 26 percent from the field.

“I love the pride that they take on the defensive end of the floor. I think it speaks to the character of our team.” Langely said. “Defense is about your heart and your effort and you don’t usually get a lot of credit from the defensive end of the floor as individuals. And you see our team really comes together and gives all that they have to defend well.”

That defense turned into just enough offense. Rice scored 13 points on fast breaks, relying on Jasmine Smith and Destiny Jackson to push the team down the court. Once the team stretched the lead to double digits at halftime, Louisiana Tech never got closer than eight for the remainder of the game.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Sydne Wiggins

On a night in which only two Owls reached double-digit points, it was the defensive performers who stood out. Nancy Mulkey registered her 200th career block and a career-best 15 rebounds, but it was the furious play of Sydne Wiggins that stood out the most. She was relentless on that side of the court, registering one steal, two blocks and plenty of headaches for the Owls’ opponent. Langley praised her focus, “She plays with such poise,” Langely said, “[She] has a great IQ. She brings so much to the court for us.” With Ogwumike on the bench, Wiggins was a much-needed energizer.

Up Next

Saturday they host Southern Miss with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Then the team gets a few days off before a Thursday/Friday road trip to play UTEP and UTSA.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2020: Owls top FIU to complete road sweep

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Rice Women’s Basketball seems to have returned to form, coasting through another Conference USA win, besting FIU on the road.

When Rice women’s basketball blew out Marshall to start conference play, I asked the simple question: has Rice flipped the switch? Since then, Rice is 3-0 with victories by 8, 9 and now 21 points. Even in the closer games, the Owls had the game in the bag by the midpoint of the fourth quarter.

That was the case again on Saturday. FIU and Rice traded baskets in the first half with both teams shooting well from the floor. Then the third quarter came and Rice did what they do best, buckled down on defense and kept FIU off the board. The Panthers scored six points in the first quarter, limited to 11.8 percent shooting on 19 possessions. The Owls scored 23 points in the third to take a commanding lead, riding it to their 23rd consecutive C-USA win.

The win would have been a non-event had it not been for an injury in the third quarter to guard Erica Ogwumike. While handling the ball at the top of the key, she went down after some contact as she tried to penetrate into the paint. She was helped off the court and sat on the bench for a minute before being moved to the locker room.

Ogwumike was the preseason Conference USA player of the year and the team’s leading scorer. Her status moving forward will be closely monitored. Losing her for any length of time would be a huge blow to this team.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Jasmine Smith

A quiet star for Rice women’s basketball, Jasmine Smith continues to be incredibly consistent. In addition to scoring a team-high 12 points, she was crucial to the Owls’ success on both sides of the court. Her lock-down defense and team-leading six assists kept the team on schedule. Regardless of who else is on the court with her, Smith gives the same relentless effort.

Up Next

Rice went 2-0 on their road trip to Florida. Next, they return home for a two-game stretch at Tudor Fieldhouse. They’ll take on Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. Saturday they host Southern Miss with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Have the Owls flipped the switch?

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Rice Women’s Basketball improved to .500 on the season with their first conference win, but something felt different in the Owls’ most recent victory.

Uncertainty hung in the air around Rice Women’s Basketball as they tipped off against Marshall on Thursday night. On one hand, it was just another game, the next one on the schedule following a disappointing 5-6 start. On the other, it was a chance to defend last season’s perfect standard that has seemed worlds away from where the current team had been in recent weeks.

The game started, ended, and the scoreboard served as evidence for the Owls’ resounding blowout victory. The win felt a lot like last season’s Conference USA games, all wins for the Blue and Gray. Now, winners of 20 conference games in a row, the 2020 Owls are growing into their identity. At least, that’s how senior leader Erica Ogwumike explains the subtle shift she’s seen over the past week.

“I don’t think anything was really different, but I think we learned a lot this past week,” Ogwumike said. “We’ve learned a lot in Puerto Rico. Each game we’re learning. So I think you’re going to see that growth in every single game.”

That maturation process has come with a cost. Rice doesn’t have any Power 5 wins under their belt. They were a disappointing 0-4 in those marquee opportunities. Because of that, it’s probably going to require a conference tournament victory to return to the NCAA Tournament. The Owls’ résumé isn’t likely to have enough star power to get them to the Big Dance as an at large selection. Rice isn’t unaware of the uphill battle they face. But they’re also undeterred.

Head coach Tina Langely said she was “actually pleased with a lot of things in the non conference [schedule]”, clarifying the young roster that’s had to rely on more freshman than they did at this point last season is progressing. “We have a lot of players playing that maybe didn’t play as much last year. And so we had a lot of growth to do,” Langely said. “We played great competition and every day we got better.”

Thursday’s “better” was two-fold. First, and most importantly, Rice locked played some of their most tenacious defense of the season. They had 50 rebounds, seven steals and forced 15 turnovers. Center Nancy Mulkey only had one block. Yet Rice held Marshall to three points in the second quarter (and 43 overall), putting the game out of reach before the halftime buzzer sounded.

As has been the Owls’ penchant under Langley, defense won the day. Rice was able to work through a 3-for-11 start to that dominant second quarter and still stretch a nine-point lead to a 23 point advantage. Poor shooting, something which has hampered this team already this season, gave way to some of the most purposeful defensive possessions Rice has yet to put forth.

“I definitely think that you saw us on the defensive end really stick to who we are as a defensive team,” Langley said. “On the offensive end, I think we’re just continuing to learn each other and, and learn our offense.”

When Rice is playing well on defense, it doesn’t often take 80 points to win games. Rice could have won with 50 on Thursday, but the extra work afforded to their young core was important. By the midpoint of the third quarter, Ogwumike, Mulkey, Sydne Wiggins and Jasmine Smith were all on the bench.

“I think we’re just locked in,” Ogwumike said after posting only her second double-double of the season. She looked as sharp as ever, cutting through the lane and scrapping for every rebound remotely in her vicinity. That focus spread to the rest of the team, impacting the off-the-ball movement and the shot selection all night. Even when they had cold spurts from the floor, how Rice attacked the basket was different.

And now it’s onto the next one. Langely called it the one that matters the most.”The game in front of us is the biggest game of the year,” she said, speaking of the team’s newfound focus. “If we continue to play with that mindset, I think we can have some success.” Whether it’s the mindset, the defense, the offense, or a mixture of all of it together, whatever Rice did to generate their blowout victory in their first conference game of the season, more of that, please.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls cruise past Marshall to open C-USA play

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Rice Women’s Basketball got back on the right track with a dominant win over Marshall in their first Conference USA action of the season.

From Nancy Mulkey’s opening lay up to the final buzzer, Rice women’s basketball looked completely in control of their conference opener against Marshall. The Owls had been all over the place in recent weeks. On Thursday they looked eerily similar to the same team that won 19 consecutive games against C-USA opponents last season.

Rice opened up an early 16-6 lead. Their passes were crisp and their off-ball movement set up plenty of opportunities. They constantly made the extra pass, and were rewarded with good shots.

Then the Owls went ice cold from floor. They made 6 of their next 21 shots (28.5 percent), but managed to extend their lead thanks to lockdown defense. Up 27-14, they cranked up the afterburners, hitting five shots in a row from the field on their way to a 15-0 run to close the first half with a 37-14 advantage.

The second half was all cruise control. Rice had all of their starters off the court before the third quarter came to a close. A core of freshmen and younger players took the massive lead and extended it, finishing off an emphatic opening statement to begin conference play, winning 81-43. Their 81 points tied a season-high while their 40 points allowed were the fewest since they beat Little Rock 66-40 on Nov. 9.

Final Stats

Player of the game – Eric Ogwumike

The Owls’ leading scorer and top rebounder was involved in every possession on both ends of the court. She’s the glue that holds this team together. Rice can win without a dominant night from Ogwumike, but when she’s playing at her peak, it’s hard for other schools in the conference to keep pace. Despite only playing 22 minutes, Ogwumike picked up her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

An honorable mention, Lauren Schwartz played a fantastic game. She made a halfcourt block, chased down the ball on the other side of the court and layed it up for two points. Later on, she stole a long pass then went behind the back to maintain possession. That led to Rice points as well. Every time she touches the ball, something magical could happen,

Up Next

Rice hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Hilltoppers entered conference play 8-3. The Owls last faced WKU in the Conference USA Tournament, beating them in a tightly contested game, 64-57.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: SMU upset sours Nancy Mulkey’s record game

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A record-setting outing by Nancy Mulkey was not enough to stave off upset-minded SMU who were able to hand Rice Women’s Basketball their first loss.

Nobody said it would be easy. After rolling through their first two opponents (Nicholls St and Little Rock), Rice Women’s Basketball hit the road to take on SMU. The Mustangs weren’t supposed to the big test — that was to come on Sunday against Texas A&M. But the Owls found out the hard way that every opponent they’ll face is going to be primed for an upset.

Rice started slowly, going 1-for-11 from the field with nine turnovers in the first quarter. Their ever-ready defense kept the Owls in the game, holding SMU to 10 points in the first frame. Then the Owls fired back, outscoring the home team 18-7 in the second quarter, including a 14-0 run to close out the half.

The two teams traded punches throughout the second half. Neither team had a great shooting day, with both teams finishing below 30 percent from the floor. SMU would make the ones that counted the most, including a pair of rim-rattling free throws to extend their lead to 50-43 with 43 seconds to play. The Owls had nothing left in the tank, falling on the road by a final score of 55-43.

Player of the Game

Nancy Mulkey put together a record-breaking performance in defeat. She single-game record with 11 blocks on her way to becoming the second Rice women’s basketball player to ever record a triple-double. In addition to the 11 blocks, Mulkey also tallied 11 rebounds and 15 points.

Mulkey and Ogwumike combined for 11 of the Owls’ 14 made baskets and 32 of the team’s 43 points. The supporting cast didn’t offer much support on a disappointing night for a program that had set much higher expectations for themselves than this.

Up Next

The Owls don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves. They’ve got plenty still to play for, including their biggest game of the year upcoming. On Sunday, they host No. 5 Texas A&M at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. A win in that game would quickly put this loss in the rearview mirror as they prepare for a full schedule ahead of them.

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