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Rice Women’s Basketball Routs Morgan State

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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)

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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 Dominic 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 Rallies Past UIW

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A disastrous second quarter left Rice Women’s basketball in a hole, but the Owls rallied late to stave off an upset by UIW at home.

Rice women’s basketball fell behind from the opening tip, but kept things close through the first quarter, getting to the line and creating opportunities close to the basket. Still, they found themselves trailing by six points heading into the second quarter which is where things took a turn for the worse.

UIW opened the quarter on a 14-0 run, turning a modest advantage into a commanding 20-point lead. Rice would claw back a few baskets before halftime, but the offense was in complete disarray, managing just seven field goals in the half and no three-pointers.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Trailing by 15 points at intermission, Rice mounted a modest comeback in the early portions of the third quarter, propelled by four three-pointers from Dominque Ennis to help shrink the deficit to as few as two points but the real rally would come with Rice down 12 in the fourth.

Rice opened the quarter on a staggering 15-2 run, followed soon afterward by an 11-2 run. Just like that, a double-digit deficit turned into a comfortable home team advantage. Victoria Flores knocked down some last-minute foul shots to secure the win.

Rice women’s basketball improves to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 70, UIW 62

Key takeaway | Sputtering Shooting Leaves Reason for Concern

The fast-paced, explosive offense Rice women’s basketball hoped to showcase this season has yet to materialize in any real way. Whether it’s new personnel leaning to play together, execution issues or a fundamental error in the construction of the offense, Rice needs to go back to the drawing board, asap.

The Owls shot 20 percent from the floor in the first half and 29.2 percent in the game. They missed their first 13 three-point shots, finishing just 15 percent from deep. Bad shooting days happen and had the opponent not been a 1-3 UIW squad, it probably would have cost Rice a win.

They deserve all the credit for clawing back and seizing victory on a day when they weren’t at their best. Good teams do that. But if this team wants to become a sustainable winner, better offensive outings are going to be required on a much more consistent basis.

Up Next: Discover Puerto Rice Shootout vs Illinois State (Nov. 26 at 11:30 am)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Falters Late in Princeton Loss

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Rice Women’s basketball led early but couldn’t close, watching an early fourth quarter lead evaporate in a road loss to Princeton.

Things got off to a strong start for Rice women’s basketball in a pivotal road matchup against a Princeton team that was receiving votes in the most recent AP Poll. The visiting Owls opened the scoring with a three from Victoria Flores, furthering their early edge to eight points midway through the first quarter.

Princeton would not go away that easily, though. The Tigers opened the second quarter on a 15-4 run. No sooner had they taken their first lead of the game than did the Owl volley back, with clutch threes from Louann Battiston and Dominque Ennis to put Rice in front, where they would stay through the end of the half.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

With both sides having thrown punches, it looked as if a narrow back-and-forth would commence. Instead, even though Rice entered the fourth quarter ahead by one point, the the wheels fell off. Princeton outscored Rice 20-6 in the fourth, ending the game on an 11-2 run to turn a close game into a near blowout.

Rice women’s basketball falls to 2-2 on the season and 1-2 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Princeton 69, Rice 56

Key takeaway | Finding a Way to Finish

It’s hard to believe Rice women’s basketball entered the final quarter with the lead given how lopsided the final box score appears. Unfortunately for the Owls, it wasn’t just one thing that went wrong.

In that fateful fourth quarter Rice went 2-for-12 from the floor, was outrebounded 9-to-8, turned over the ball over six times and committed four fouls. The wide array of faults points to a team that wasn’t poised under pressure and collectively failed to execute when the lights shone the brightest.

This had the potential to be a resume building win for Rice. Instead, it’s a loss that looks much more one-sided than it actually was. Great teams finish. This team has talent, but closing out games still remains a key to-do as non-conference play marches on.

Up Next: vs Incarnate Word (Nov. 23 at 2:00 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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