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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls’ stocked with young talent

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Rice women’s basketball has a core of young players ready to make another run at a Conference USA title. The Owls’ five freshmen are the foundation for the Owls’ future.

It’s going to be surreal watching Rice Women’s Basketball take the court in the fall without Erica Ogwumike. The Owls’ leader on and off the court saw her college career come to a premature end before becoming a WNBA draft selection this spring. Rice will be tasked with fielding a starting five without her in the lineup.

As impossible as Ogwumike will be to replace, it won’t be an unprecedented task. She missed two conference games this past spring with injuries. Rice won both games, defeating Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss at home, each by double digits. Haylee Swayze got the start in the first game in place of Ogwumike. Destiny Jackson started the second.

If the average fan lost track of who was subbing in and out from the bench in the middle of conference play, head coach Tina Langley was well aware.

Jackson was one of five freshmen on the Rice roster. She and Lauren Schwartz were the only two to start at least one game. Schwartz was one of three players to start every game, averaging 9.6 points per game, third best on the team. All five — including India Bellamy, Ashlee Austin and Katelyn Crosthwait — played in more than half of the Owls’ games. Simply put, the Rice freshman made their mark.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Bellamy led the team with a 45.5 percent success rate from three (5 of 11) and made all five of her free throws she attempted. Austin averaged one rebound every 4.5 minutes on the court, second only to Ogwumike. Crosthwait came up huge with a career-best 11 points in the regular-season finale, helping Rice clinch the conference title with a win over Old Dominion.

“I think where I’m proud of them is that all five of them contributed significantly,” Langley said, “It’s amazing to have such incredible young people coming into our program.”

Building that depth and giving them experience en route to back-to-back conference championships was, in many ways, the perfect scenario. Langley can trust each of them to step into bigger roles next season without missing a beat. And that’s what makes the outlook of this team so bright despite the loss of Ogwumike. Rice women’s basketball has so many players ready and able to contribute now.

“If you looked at our starting lineup from last season, we looked a little strange positionally at times,” Langley admitted,
“But we put a great group out there that could do a lot of different things well.” That’s the recipe for another run at a conference title in the fall. And as young as the Owls’ are, they might not be slowing down any time soon.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Lauren Schwartz shines in debut season

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Lauren Schwartz left her mark during her freshman season with Rice Women’s Basketball. Her career at South Main is only getting started.

The departure of senior Nicole Iademarco following the 2018-2019 season left an opening in the Rice Women’s Basketball starting lineup. The Owls were returning several role players who would be candidates to fill the final spot, but head coach Tina Langely opted for a new face over a familiar one.

Lauren Schwartz, a freshman from Union, Kentucky started the Owls’ opening game against Nicholls St. She earned a second start that same week against Arkansas-Little Rock. From that point onward, the job was hers. She became one of three players on the roster to start every game for Rice this past season.

Langley noticed Schwartz had the potential to be special from the start. “She has the little characteristics that can help someone be great,” she said. “The grit that you need and just the relentlessness that she shows on the court.”

Schwartz was third on the team in scoring (9.6 points per game) and third in rebounds (116). Eventual WNBA Draft selection Erica Ogwumike and center Nancy Mulkey were the only players who topped Schwartz in either statistic. For a freshman playing among some of the best to ever wear Rice uniforms, the game never looked too big.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

There was a learning curve as she adjusted to the college game, but she navigated those challenges well. She became more consistent as the year progress. Schwartz finished with double-digit points in six of her final seven games after tallying nine double-digit outings in her first 22 games. Even on nights when she struggled to find her shot, she found ways to make an impact.

“She’s driven in a way that you don’t teach, she has that internally,” Langely declared. “I think that’s going to help her continue to grow at a really fast rate and have a lot of success.”

Translation: For Lauren Schwartz, the best is yet to come.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls drop heavyweight fight vs No. 5 Texas A&M

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Rice Women’s Basketball took No. 5 Texas A&M down to the wire, falling a single point short in front of a packed crowd at Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday.

There was no trepidation in the Owls’ eyes when No. 5 Texas A&M took the court at Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday. Rice Women’s Basketball had missed the chance for revenge against these same Aggies last March, falling in overtime to Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, hosted in College Station.

The Aggies scored first before Rice punched back behind a pair of baskets from Sydne Wiggins. An 8-5 lead wasn’t overly significant in the grand scheme of this 40-minute contest, but it calmed this team down and reminded them that they could play with this team, and play at this level.

More: Takeaways from Rice football’s win over MTSU

Led by Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M grabbed a 10 point lead and held the Owls at bay through the first half. Rice did most of their scoring from the free-throw line, unable to crack the rigid Aggie defense. Ferocious defense, led by Jasmine Smith kept Rice in the game. The sophomore guard came up big, drawing a charge in the final seconds before halftime prior to a Haylee Swayze three.

Trailing 36-27 at half, Rice began to pick up the pace. The defense was suffocating and the offense took advantage of their opportunities. Rice outscored their opponent 24-13 in the third quarter, clinging to a 53-49 lead at the start of the final frame.

What transpired next felt like a battle of heavyweights. It didn’t feel like C-USA vs SEC. It felt like two elite powers grappling for a resume-boosting win. Rice took a one-point lead on a layup by Erica Ogwumike in the final 24 seconds. A Texas A&M three-pointer hit iron and rattled out, but it would be the Aggies who secured the rebound and the game-winning putback.

Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey combined for 17 points. A few days removed from setting the school single-game record for blocks, Mulkey had just three swats against the Aggies. With their biggest stars held somewhat in check, the rest of the team stepped up.

Tina Langely wasn’t surprised. “Every player right now is learning that when your number is called you just have to be aggressive,” she said, crediting players the collective effort of the team who fought to the very end.

Player of the game

The loss of sharpshooter Nicole Iademarco from last year’s team left a hole in the Owls’ offensive scheme. Someone was going to have to step up and make those threes to open things up for the rest of the team’s versatile scoring options. When Rice Women’s Basketball took the court for the first time this season, freshman Lauren Schwartz was among the starting five.

Schwartz had 11 points in her first collegiate game against Nicholls St. That was a good start. But when the lights were brightest — like they were Sunday against the No. 5 team in the nation — Schwartz caught fire. She had 12 points in the third quarter alone, making two three-pointers, two more from the field and two foul shots.

“It’s not really all about me. It’s all about the team,” Schwartz said. “I couldn’t have got those open shots without the team passing the ball and making plays.” Those open shots led to a career-high 19 points and gave Rice a chance in the final moments. Three games into her collegiate career, Schwartz is shaping up to be an impactful addition to the Owls’ already potent lineup.

Up Next

The Owls will hit the road next week for a two-game stretch away from Tudor Fieldhouse. They play at Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 2:00 p.m. before a Wednesday battle at McNeese St on Nov. 27. That latter is scheduled to be a 12:00 p.m. tip.

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