The source for Rice sports news

UTSA upset ends Rice Women’s Basketball’s CUSA Tournament run

By

Rice women’s basketball was upset in their opening game of the Conference USA Tournament, falling to 6-Seed UTSA in Frisco.

After earning a first round bye, Rice Women’s Basketball took the court on Wednesday afternoon against UTSA looking to punch their ticket to the semifinals. Things were tenuous early on, with both teams struggling from the field in the first quarter. Rice would hit two free throws to end the first frame before they really found their groove.

The second quarter was almost entirely all Owls. Rice scored the first 12 points of the frame, opening up a 15-point lead against the No. 6 seeded Roadrunners. The Owls held their opponents to 14.3 percent shooting from the floor in the quarter, winning the battle on the boards 16-8 and controlling the tempo throughout.

Up by 12 at the half, it looked like Rice had a golden opportunity to put the game away when UTSA leading scorer Jordyn Jenkins hit the bench with four fouls midway through the third quarter. It never materialized. Rice couldn’t get into a rhythm on offense and UTSA stuck around. Despite the lull, Rice still led at the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

Entering Thursday, Rice was 20-0 when leading with five minutes left in the game. They’re 20-1 now after Jenkins returned to the game and spurred a 28-point quarter, UTSA’s largest output in a single quarter this season. While the Roadrunners heated up, the Owls wilted, ending a largely positive regular season in disappointing fashion.

Final Box | UTSA 62 – Rice 54

Key takeaway | Not destiny

What head coach Lindsay Edmonds was able to accomplish down the stretch given her lineup constraints was impressive. Rice played significant portions of February without at least one of Malia Fisher, Ashlee Austin, Destiny Jackson or Trinity Gooden available. Jackson couldn’t go on Thursday and her absence was felt, particularly in the fourth quarter when it seemed no one else was able to create their own opportunities.

Rice managed to lose just two games with that fluctuating roster throughout the month of February. Unfortunately, they lost their last one in March, and that’s the one that mattered most. Depth matters, but difference-makers do, too. UTSA’s Jordyn Jenkins drove that point home with a game-high 22-points on Thursday.

Up Next | ???

It probably would have taken a stronger run through the Conference USA Tournament for Rice women’s basketball to have qualified for the WNIT. It’s possible the WBI is still in play, though. That’s scheduled to host eight teams from March 16 to March 19.

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

Recent Posts

2023 Conference USA Basketball Tournament: Men’s and Women’s Previews

By

The 2023 Conference USA Basketball Tournament tips off in Frisco, TX this week. Here’s a preview of the action.

Conference USA Basketball – Men’s Tournament

The Favorite: Florida Atlantic

The nation’s No. 1 team, Houston, is the only program in the nation that has lost fewer games than Florida Atlantic. The Owls shocked many when they ran through Conference USA this season and are deservedly the clear frontrunner to win the conference tournament. An at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament seems probable but is by no means a sure thing at this point, so they should be plenty motivated to finish what they’ve started.

The Contender: UAB

UAB is a different basketball team when Jelly Walker is on the court. Since his return, UAB has lost a grand total of one game (on the road against a good North Texas team). The Blazers have depth, experience and a star. If FAU doesn’t cut down the nets, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see these preseason favorites take home the title.

The Sleeper: Middle Tennessee

The men’s field really feels shallow this season, at least in terms of teams outside the top three who could go on a run and win the tournament. Middle Tennessee might just be the sweet spot. The Blue Raiders were one of very few teams to beat No. 1 Seed FAU in the regular season and they play stingy defense, which always seems to grow in importance in the month of March.

Conference USA Basketball – Women’s Tournament

The Favorite: Middle Tennessee

The only nationally ranked team in Conference USA, Middle Tennessee has had one bad weekend since November. It’s possible they have an off day, but it sure doesn’t seem probable at this point. The Blue Raiders have three of the top 10 scorers in the conference and the conference’s No. 1 scoring defense. Weaknesses are far and few between.

The Contender: UTEP

If anyone can take down to Middle Tennesee, it’s probably one of the two teams to achieve the feat during the regular season. The Miners protect the basketball well and are among the conference leaders in assists per game. While they lack a singular dominant player, they do have a host of players that can score, making them a challenging matchup defensively.

The Sleeper: Rice

Aside from Middle Tennessee, no one has been better since the midpoint of January than the Rice Owls. After beginning conference play 1-4, Rice has won 12 of their last 15 and has won several of those with some of their top players in and out of the lineup. They’re trending toward being back near full strength by the time the tournament comes around, which should scare some of the rest of the pack.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball caps off regular season with win at FIU

By

Rice women’s basketball wrapped up a Sunshine state sweep on Saturday, defeating FIU two days after FAU to complete the regular season.

Rice women’s basketball finished off the regular season just like they started it — riding a lengthy winning streak. The Owls’ Saturday victory over FIU was the fifth consecutive win for Rice, which clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming Conference USA Conference Tournament in the process.

Early on it looked like reaching that fifth straight win would come easy for the Owls, who parlayed a strong start into a 45-30 halftime lead. It wouldn’t be quite that easy, though. FIU opened the third quarter on a 24-6 run, forcing five Rice turnovers in that stretch and turning what could have been a one-sided affair into a rock fight down the stretch.

Malia Fisher and India Bellamy fouled out. Destiny Jackson and Trinity Gooden did not play. Still, with the lineup shortened, Rice found a way. They weathered the FIU rally and answered with one of their own, pulling away late to prevent any opportunity for an FIU upset.

Final Box | Rice 96 – FIU 84

Key takeaway | Bye, bye, bye

Rice women’s basketball won’t be playing on Wednesday in Frisco. Their win on Saturday secured the Owls the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Conference Tournament. That entitles them to a first-round bye as they await the winner of the game between No. 6 seed UTSA and No. 11 seed UAB. It also cements a rather impressive Year 2 for head coach Lindsay Edmonds and her staff.

Edmonds went 14-13 (8-9) in her first season with Rice women’s basketball. She ends the 2022-2023 regular season 22-7 (13-7). That’s a sizable jump and has her program viewed as one of the favorites entering the conference tournament rather than the upstart underdog they were last season.

Up Next: Conference USA Tournament, Round 2

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

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball takes care of business at FAU

By

Rice women’s basketball continued on their winning waves, closing out their penultimate regular season game with little drama against FAU.

Rice women’s basketball has been forced to juggle its lineup several times in recent weeks, but the end result has routinely been the same: winning. The Owls were without Trinity Gooden or Destiny Jackson on Thursday night against FAU but it never seemed to matter. The return of Malia Fisher helped smooth those concerns as well as a big day from Katelyn Crosthwait.

Crosthwait got the scoring started with a first quarter jumper, two of her 22 points on the afternoon. That helped spark and early Rice run which put them in front for good, never trailing in the eventual runaway victory.

Florida Atlantic would keep things within striking distance for a while, but Rice pulled away for good with a strong start to the fourth quarter, emphasized by a flurry of threes that turned a 14-point Rice lead into a 21-point advantage. It proved too much for FAU to overcome as Rice hung on to secure the win.

Final Box | Rice 76 – FAU 61

Key takeaway | Moving on up

By virtue of Western Kentucky’s win over UTEP and the Owls’ victory over the Florida-based Owls, Rice moves into the No. 3 overall seed in the Conference USA Tournament with the head-to-head tiebreaker over UTSA. Rice can secure that seeding by defeating FIU on Saturday.

Rice is a game behind Western Kentucky in the standings and doesn’t look to have a chance to pass them on the final weekend. Still, the Owls would be looking at a top-three regular season finish if things hold. That’s a solid result for a program picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll.

Regardless, Rice will finish above Charlotte and Louisiana Tech, two of the three programs picked to finish above them in October. That’s why you play the games.

Up Next: at FIU – Saturday, Mar. 4 at 1:00 p.m.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball storms past Charlotte on Senior Day

By

Rice women’s basketball never trailed on Senior Day, leading wire-to-wire in a convincing victory over Charlotte at home.

There wasn’t a hint of distraction that lingered from Senior Day festivities for Rice Women’s Basketball at home against Charlotte on Saturday. The Owls scored first, scored often and never trailed on their way to their third straight win in conference play.

Destiny Jackson opened the scoring with a layup, two of just four points on the day, which showcased the Owls’ defense as much, if not more so, than their scoring ability. Rice held Charlotte to just 20 points in the first half on 32 percent shooting from the floor. The 49ers couldn’t get anything going on offense until the third quarter after the Owls had taken a 21-point lead.

Charlotte’s most concentrated run came following the final media timeout of the game. They reeled off eight straight points, but it was only good enough to trim an 18-point deficit to a 10-point hole. Rice was able to regain its footing and close the game out with relative ease.

Even when accounting for the minor fourth-quarter slump, head coach Lindsay Edmonds was proud of her team’s ability to finish and how well the program has played over the lat few weeks. “We’re really close,” Edmonds said, referring to playing their best basketball down the stretch. “We’re clicking on a lot of cylinders. Our defense has stepped up. Our offense is scoring the ball really at a really high clip. I’m excited about where we’re at, but we can keep pushing to get better.”

The victory essentially clinches a first round bye in the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls can improve their seeding next weekend in a two-game road finale against FAU and FIU, respectively.

Final Box | Rice 64 – Charlotte 52

Key takeaway | For the seniors with the future

India Bellamy and Ashlee Austin have been core producers for Rice Women’s Basketball over the last few weeks. Each finished with a double-digit scoring effort on Saturday, but neither led the team. That honor went to freshman Shelby Hayes, who stole the show on Senior Day with her first career double-double.

“Shelby was awesome. She came in and gave us a spark off the bench,” Edmonds said. “She was big time on offensive rebounds. She put the ball in the basket. Shelby is just someone that does whatever it takes to make the team better and I just think that she got rewarded tonight and I’m so proud of her.”

Hayes came off the bench in relief of Bellamy, who ran into some early foul trouble, and quickly made her presence felt. Hayes scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, including a staggering 10 offensive boards. It was an impressive performance and served as a reminder that the up-and-coming wave of Owls has plenty to bring to the table, too.

Up Next: at FAU – Thursday, Mar. 2 at 6:00 p.m.

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

Recent Posts