Rice women’s basketball raced past Morgan State on Thanksgiving Day, moving to 2-0 at the Puerto Rico Shootout.
Morgan State scored the first points, but didn’t offer much of a fight for the final 39 minutes of their Thanksgiving Day contest with Rice Women’s Basketball at the Puerto Rico Shootout. The Owls responded to that opening basket with a thunderous 18-3 run to finish the quarter, putting the game out of reach with haste.
The teams played a more even game across the next two quarters. A 13-point lead after the first quarter still grew, but reached only 17 points at halftime and stayed at that margin entering the fourth quarter. It was then at that the Owls started to pull away in earnest.
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Rice began the final period on a 10-1 run, eventually expanding their edge to as many as 32 points on a layup from Jill Twiehaus in the final minute. Morgan State would add a free throw to cull the final margin by a point, but the magnitude of the victory was unchanged.
Rice women’s basketball improves to 5-2 on the season and 3-2 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.
Final Box | Rice 75, Morgan State 44
Key takeaway | Taking Care of Business
Morgan State is not a good basketball team. The Bears are 1-7 on the season, with that lone victory coming over an NAIA program. This win won’t be mentioned as a resume builder down the road. However, that the game was a snoozer in itself shouldn’t be summarily dismissed.
For a Rice program that’s had its fair share of ups and downs already this season, a blowout win in this fashion was just what the doctor ordered. Good teams beat bad teams like this; that’s how it’s supposed to work. A close win would have counted the same way on the ledger, but it’s worth noting Rice is established enough now that they shouldn’t have to sweat games like this in the future.
Up Next: Puerto Rico Shootout vs UCF (Nov. 28 at 2:00 pm)
