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Rice Women’s Basketball blasts UTEP in runaway win

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Rice Women’s Basketball blasted past UTEP at home, locking up a first-round bye in the Conference USA Tournament win the win.

Maya Bokunewicz put up a three-pointer for the first shot of a midweek game between Rice women’s basketball and UTEP. It bounced off the mark before being recovered by Trinity Gooden who converted on the second-chance attempt to put Rice in front 2-0. In a dramatic divergence from the Owls’ last game where nothing would go in, even the missed shots turned into points on Thursday night.

The 2-0 lead quickly snowballed into a 22-7 lead which grew into a monstrous 28-point halftime advantage in favor of the Owls. That’s the sort of thing that happens when one team finds their stroke and shoots 57.6 from the field in the first two quarters.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball rallies past Southern Miss in huge road win

Bokunewicz and Malia Fisher each had double-digit points before the halftime buzzer sounded. Destiny Jackson, Ashlee Austin and Trinity Gooden would join them in double figures before the night was through. And although they would cool down, averaging just 46.4 percent from the field for the game, their sizable lead was never in jeopardy.

The win secures Rice women’s basketball a top-five finish in the West, even if UTEP should win this coming Saturday. Rice will earn a bye in the first round of the conference tournament whereas UTEP will face seventh seed UTSA for a spot in the Day 2 games.

Player Spotlight | Malia Fisher

Fisher continues her bid for Conference USA Freshman of the Year with another dominant game, tying her career-high with 20 points on the way to another double-double. She also had three assists and two steals. Her versatility provides a spark to this team in a myriad of ways and has been crucial in their recent hot streak.

Stat Corner | 31

Two weeks ago following a narrow win over UAB, Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds said she expected her team to be in a lot of close games. Games that — in her words — were going to “come down to the wire”. True to her prediction, Rice did play several neck-and-neck contests. Thursday’s win over UTEP was anything but close.

Rice led by as many as 31 points, essentially putting the game on ice by the midpoint of the very first quarter. It was one of the most dominant performances of the season and it came within days of the Conference USA Tournament.

Final Box | Rice 82 – UTEP 62

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has one more game remaining in the regular season. The Owls will host UTSA on Mar. 5, Senior Day. From there, it’s onto the Conference USA Tournament with the Owls’ final seeding still to be determined.

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Sloppy performance doors Rice Baseball against Baylor in midweek tilt

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Rice baseball couldn’t hold on to the ball in a sloppy midweek loss to Baylor, committing four errors for the first time since the 2020 season.

The starting rotation had been an adventure for Rice baseball in the early outings of the 2022 season. Parker Smith, the Owls’ midweek starter, had delivered the unquestionably best appearance to date when he pitched six scoreless innings in a win against Houston Baptist last Tuesday. He got off to a solid start against Baylor this week, but left the game in the fifth with his team trailing 5-0.

Although he’ll be credited with the loss in the box score, he’s only going to be charged with one earned run. That’s because Rice committed four errors in the contest, fumbling away any chance of toppling an in-state on a beautiful evening at Reckling Park. A leaping grab by Justin Dunlap might have been the only bright spot.

The first blow came in the second inning. Following a strikeout and a single, the third batter ripped a ball down the right field line to Guy Garibay. It was fielded cleanly and relayed into the infield where it was mishandled and allowed to roll all the way to the left field wall. One run scored. Smith worked out of the rest of the frame without further damage.

Last Time Out : Takeaways from Rice Baseball 2-1 series loss to Lamar

Both teams swapped zeroes in the third and fourth innings before disaster struck in the fifth. What should have been a one-out lineout to Justin Dunlap bounced off his glove to the fence, putting runners on second and third. What should have been a routine groundout on the following play allowed both runs to score when the ball ricocheted off the glove of Austin Bulman into the outfield.

The next Baylor batter deposited the ball over the left field fence. 5-0. And every single run could be traced back to a booted ball or an off-target throw. Baylor would tack on three more run, two via wild pitches, before the final out. Rice mistakes were the overarching theme of the evening.

What it means

The four errors are the most committed by any Rice baseball team in a single game since March 3, 2020 against Louisiana. They’d only had a pair of three-error games since the 2020 season began, one of which came last week against Houston Baptist. In fact, Rice committed at least one error in every game this season. They’ve played eight.

There were always going to be bumps and bruises as the Owls learned to fly under a new head coach. But several of the players that have committed these infractions are seasoned baseball players who haven’t forgotten how to play. Whatever the reason, the problem has to be addressed. Rice is beating themselves just as much as other teams are winning through pure ability and talent.

ON DECK | Lamar

Rice baseball is in the midst of a 17-game homestand which continues on Friday when Harvard comes to town. The Owls will play a four-game set with the Crimson, including a Saturday doubleheader.

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Rice Basketball edges Southern Miss on Senior Day

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It took overtime to get it done, but Rice Basketball sent off its seniors on a high note, topping Southern Miss on Senior Day at Tudor Fieldhouse.

It had been a back-and-forth game from the start with no obvious moments of separation. Rice basketball traded runs with Southern Miss but both teams stayed neck and neck through regulation and beyond. It was always close. Right up until the moment Chris Mullins let a three-point shot fly with just under 90 seconds remaining in overtime.

The three-point shot would dive through the hoop and give Rice a 5-point advantage with time ticking off the clock quickly. From that point, forward Rice made their foul shots and played out the string, but it was Mullins’ triple that afforded the pivotal moment.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball furious rally not enough vs LA Tech

“Fitting. Appropriate. Whatever word you want to use. A four-year warrior. He’ll never forget that shot as long as he lives. I probably won’t either,” head coach Scott Pera said of Mullins’ dagger three, reflecting on a Senior Fight victory. Ten of the Owls’ 13 points in overtime were scored by seniors, snapping a season-long losing streak and rejuvenating the entire roster.

“We needed a win,” Pera admitted.

That win didn’t come easily. Before Rice got to overtime they overcome an eight-point first-half deficit. Every time they came close, Southern Miss found a way to push their advantage up another few points. It wasn’t until a set of three three-pointers by Travis Evee at the midpoint of the second half that Rice would take their first lead in what felt like forever.

Southern Miss would answer. Then Rice volleyed back. The battle was fierce. Rice had the chance to end it in regulation but couldn’t get one more three-ball to fall as the clock expired. That would eventually set up Mullins’ deep bomb, a memorable way for the seniors’ last home game to end.

Player Spotlight | Chris Mullins

A four-year starter, Mullins is the most tenured player on the roster. He was shut out in his last game against Louisiana Tech, going 0-for-4 from the field with no rebounds. On Saturday against Southern Miss he scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and played 40 minutes, the second-most court time he’s gotten in a game all season, behind only a 3OT outing against Evansville in November.

“I can still remember my first game here,” Mullins said as he attempted to take in the emotions of the final home game of his career. “It’s just come full circle. I started off with a win and I ended with a win here. I’m going to have so many memories here. It’s a great feeling.”

Stat Corner | Get to the line

Rice basketball shot 29 free throws. Southern Miss shot eight. One of the major differences in this game was how often Rice was able to get to the charity stripe. Even though they only converted 20 of those chances, good for a modest 69 percent, they still vastly outdid their opponents at the line and made one of their opposing players foul out.

Final Box | Rice 77 – Southern Miss 72

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball will finish out their regular season schedule on the road. Next up is UTEP, who they’ll visit on Mar. 3 for an 8:00 p.m. tilt. Then Rice will finish in San Antonio against UTSA on Mar. 5. at 2:00 p.m. After that, it’s onto the conference tournament which tips off on Mar. 8.

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Rice Women’s Basketball rallies past Southern Miss for gritty road win

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Rice Women’s Basketball trailed for most of the game and did not shoot well at all but the Owls still found a way to take down Southern Miss.

Blisteringly fast starts have been the hallmark of Rice women’s basketball this season. Depth issues and inexperience have made those early leads tenuous at times, but winning the first quarter has never been a serious problem. That’s what made Saturday’s slow start in Hattiesburg so surprising.

Rice shot 14.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter and fell eight points behind Southern Miss 15-7, Trailing by more points than they’d managed to score, the Owls had no choice other than to chip away.

Bolstered by a powerful defensive effort, Rice began their comeback. Southern Miss made two field goals in the second quarter and attempted just seven field goals. They turned the ball over seven times in the frame compared to three turnovers from the Owls, who held the home team without a field goal for more than six consecutive minutes. When the halftime buzzer sounded, it was a one-point game in favor of Southern Miss.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas, players in 2OT loss to LA Tech
While it probably won’t move the needle for those outside of South Main, this victory might very well go down as the win of the year.

The teams traded baskets in the third quarter but although Rice was able to tie the score twice, they never took the lead, instead allowing Southern Miss to gradually increase the margin to seven points midway through the fourth quarter.

Southern Miss outrebounded Rice 43-41. They outshot the Owls 36.7 percent to 27.9 percent. Through the first 38+ minutes of regulation, Rice never led. But when Malia Fisher secured a putback with 1:12 to play and Destiny Jackson followed with a layup with 18 seconds remaining, none of those numbers mattered.

Rice only led for 42 seconds, but it was the most meaningful 42 seconds of the game. For this shorthanded team to have so much go against them and still find a way to win is absolutely stunning. While it probably won’t move the needle for those outside of South Main, this victory might very well go down as the win of the year.

Player Spotlight | Ashlee Austin

On a day when nobody wearing blue and gray could find the basket, Ashlee Austin’s offensive contributions were massive. Austin led both teams with 18 points and added 10 rebounds, including three offensive boards. It was her first career double-double of the season, and every point and rebound was critical to complete the Owls’ thrilling comeback.

Stat Corner | 27.9 Percent

Rice women’s basketball came into this game averaging 40.4 percent shooting from the field on the season. Every team has its good days and its bad days when it comes to shooting, but the Owls had unarguably their worst shooting performance of the season on Saturday against the team atop the C-USA West Standings.

Entering Saturday, the Owls’ worst shooting percentage in a win was 38 percent against Texas Southern on Nov. 17.  They hadn’t won a game shooting worst than 30 percent since beating Old Dominion in February of 2019. Rice shot 27.9 percent against Southern Miss. And they won.

Final Box | Rice 51 – Southern Miss 46

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has two final games remaining on the regular season slate. They will host UTEP on Mar. 3 and then UTSA on Mar. 5, Senior Day. From there, it’s onto the Conference USA Tournament which could start for Rice as early as Tuesday, Mar. 8.

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Shorthanded Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas in OT vs LA Tech

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Rice Women’s Basketball fought to the end but ran out of gas in a double-overtime defeat at Louisiana Tech.

Winners of three straight, Rice women’s basketball headed to Ruston with confidence. The Owls had seemingly gotten over the hump and gotten into a rhythm. The Conference USA Division was so wide open, in fact, that Rice entered the game with a real chance to leap up the standings. To get there, Rice would have to defeat Louisiana Tech for the second time this season, a feat they came within two overtimes of achieving.

Things started quietly enough with both teams trading points in the first quarter. Louisana Tech would go on the game’s first big run, taking a nine-point lead into halftime. That lead would briefly reach 10 points midway through the third quarter, then Ashlee Austin took over.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball takes second straight from UAB

Following an eight-point outburst from Destiny Jackson, Austin would score the Owls’ final 14 points of the third quarter. No other Owls scored in that frame, but Rice wouldn’t need much more help at that point. The large lead was ground down to three points when the fourth quarter began.

It was Maya Bokunewicz who would step up next. She connected on back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to give Rice its first lead since the beginnings of the second quarter. Not long after, India Bellamy was helped off the court by trainers who were able to hold on and force overtime.

Rice women’s basketball hung tough in the first extra period but had to watch as what might have been the game-winning last-second shot by Malia Fisher bounced off the boards. In the second overtime, Rice would not be as fortunate. Fisher fouled out as did Jackson and the shorthanded Owls were held without a field goal in the final period, falling on the road 90-80.

Player Spotlight | Destiny Jackson

Jackson has been a revelation over the last month of the season. She’s developed into a lethal scoring threat, but she did it all on Thursday night against Louisiana Tech, notching her first carer double-double. She had 10 rebounds to lead all Owls with 14 points and six assists. If good things were happening for Rice, Jackson was almost always involved.

Stat Corner | More than once, twice

Rice women’s basketball was extremely fortunate they were able to get Bellamy back on the court in overtime after a nasty looking fall in regulation. They needed her down the stretch in large part because this team seemingly doesn’t know how to quit, even when facing tired legs and endless extra periods. This game marks the second overtime game Rice has played this season and both games have included multiple extra periods. Rice lost to Charlotte in 4 OT on Jan. 22.

Final Box | LA Tech 90 – Rice 80

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has one last stop on the road this coming Saturday against Southern Miss, then it’s back to Houston for two final home games to wrap up the regular season. They’ll host UTEP on Mar. 3 and UTSA on Mar. 5, Senior Day.

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

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