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2022-2023 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

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The 2022-2023 Rice women’s basketball season is around the corner and the team can’t wait to build on last season’s successes.

The most common word Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds would use to describe last season was whirlwind. Coming in as a first-time head coach in the midst of a program in transition with a minimal roster and the lingering challenges of COVID-19 was never going to be easy. Edmonds and her team persevered.

One year later the program seems poised to continue its ascent. For one, they have more bodies. Edmonds added the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA to supplement a much more experienced roster than they had at this point last season.

Edmonds joked that one of the biggest differences from last year’s squad to this one is readily apparent when you walk into the gym. “Last year we took half of a court to stretch,” she laughed. “[This year] we take up an entire sideline!”

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No 2022 postseason for Rice Women’s Basketball

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Rice women’s basketball did not make the field for the WNIT or the WBI, signaling the end of the Owls’ 2022 season.

The Rice women’s basketball regular season came to an end earlier this week when the Owls dropped a hard-fought conference tournament battle to Charlotte, who would go on to cut down the nets in Frisco. At the time, it felt like that wouldn’t be the last we’ll see of the Owls on the court this spring, though. Head coach Lindsay Edmonds predicted as much in the aftermath of that loss.

“I told them I don’t want the season to be over with yet and that their mindset should still be locked in on basketball and continuing to play,” Edmonds said. “They deserve to continue to play. The way we’ve been playing, they deserve to continue to play.”

That next opportunity would not come.

While postseason play once seemed like wishful thinking, it became more and more reasonable for this team to expect one more chance. Rice had won seven of their last nine games with their only two losses since Valentine’s Day coming in overtime to Louisiana Tech and to eventual Conference USA Tournament Champion, Charlotte in the conference tournament.

Rice women’s basketball won the WNIT last season. In fact, WNIT officials had visited the Owls recently. If things didn’t work out on that front, the WBI was also thought to be an option. There was an expectation that tournament would have a place for the Owls if the WNIT did not. By late Sunday night, both fields had been announced. No Rice.

The omission is a disappointment, but the Owls hope to turn it into motivation. Or as Edmonds, reacted late Sunday night, they’ll use it as fuel to the fire.

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Malia Fisher’s big day propels Rice Women’s Basketball past Marshall

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Rice Women’s Basketball won its first Conference USA Tournament game on Wednesday, soaring past Marshall thanks to Malia Fisher’s big day.

Earlier this season, Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds had talked about the importance of winning the third quarter. That need had progressed to winning the fourth quarter as the Owls struggled to close games out at the start of conference play.

On Wednesday morning in their opening game of the Conference USA Tournament, Rice won the second quarter, and they did so with such an emphatic blow it set the tone for the remainder of the contest, one in which they would go on to score 80 points, a Rice women’s Basketball Conference USA Tournament record.

The Owls took a three-point lead out of the first quarter and opened with an 8-0 run to kick off the second period. It was the Owls’ defense though, combined with a voracious desire to attack the basket, that left the most resounding mark. Marshall would make just two field goals in the second quarter, shooting a meager 11.1 percent from the field. Conversely, Rice went to the line 12 times in the frame and knocked down all 12 shots.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball rains down threes, beats UTSA

Leading 38 to 25 at halftime, all Rice had to do was buckle down and hold the line. That’s exactly what they did. Marshall would get their deficit back within single digits on a few occasions early in the third quarter, but from the moment Maya Bokenewicz drained her second three-pointer of the day with 6:17 to play in the third, it was a runaway win for the Owls.

“We’re definitely playing our best basketball,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds remarked. “The proof is in our record. We’re clicking.”

Rice would extend their lead to as many as 18, maintaining at least a 14 point advantage for the duration of the fourth quarter. Marshall never got within striking distance and the Owls were able to coast down the stretch to their first win of the tournament.

Player Spotlight | Malia Fisher

With Ashlee Austin sidelined with foul trouble, Rice women’s basketball was going to need someone to help shoulder the load. Malia Fisher answered the call with one of the most spectacular outings of her young career. Days removed from being named to the All-Conference team, Malia Fisher put on a rebounding clinic in Frisco, TX.

Fisher ended the game with 16 rebounds, nearly tying her career-best 18-rebound game against FIU just a few short weeks ago. She also added 17 points.

“I wasn’t aware of [having a double-double] until I came out in the last couple minutes until I came out,” Fisher said. “You just go out there and play. I’m not really worried about the numbers. A win is a win.”

Coach Edmonds was elated to see Fisher’s success but stressed this was just the beginning of the freshmen’s abilities. “Her ceiling is extremely high. We’re tapping into that, but we’re not even close. The future is very, very bright for Malia,” Edmonds said. “She’s an unbelievable young lade. I’m glad she’s wearing that uniform.”

Stat Corner | Free throws and free points

Rice did a lot of things well against Marshall, but their dominance at the free throw line might have been the most impactful differentiator. The Owls hit 25-of-27 free throws (92.6 percent). Marshall attempted just 15, but made a woeful eight of those attempts (53.3 percent).

While the Herd handed away points at the stripe, Rice stockpiled them. It would have been enough to give Rice the win in a close game. As well as they played on Wednesday, it was enough to comfortably send them to the second round.

Final Box | Rice 80 – Marshall 62

Up Next | Full Schedule

With the win, Rice women’s basketball advances to the third round of the Conference USA Tournament where they’ll face Charlotte, the No. 1 seed in the East. The Owls and 49ers played a 4 OT thriller in the regular season with the 49ers coming out on top in that contest.

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Rice Women’s Basketball rains down threes in rout of UTSA

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Rice Women’s Basketball utilized a barrage of three-point shots to post a dominant victory over UTSA in their final game of the regular season.

From the moment Maya Bokunewicz opened the scoring with a three-pointer it was abundantly clear Rice women’s basketball has not come down from their recent run from elevated play. Winners of five of their last six, the Owls came out firing in their season final against UTSA and showed continued composure when the Roadrunners were able to tie the game midway through the first quarter.

Rice wouldn’t run away with this game as they had in their previous outing against UTEP, but even when UTSA was able to trim the Owls’ margin, the Roadrunners never once took the lead. UTSA’s longest run of the first half was a 6-0 spurt which enabled them to tie the game. Every other burst was no better than a minor 3-0 streak in favor of the visitors.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball blasts UTEP in runaway win

Rice women’s basketball would break things wide open to start the second half. The Owls’ first five shots of the quarter were three-pointers. Four of them hit home, catapulting the home team to a commanding 19-point advantage. From that point on, Rice could have just played out the string. Instead, they poured it on.

The sizable lead grew even larger until the Owls’ advantage nearly doubled up the Roadrunners. The advantage grew to be as large as 39-points, further reinforcing Rice was playing their best basketball of the season on the cusp of postseason play.

Player Spotlight | Ashlee Austin

Winning games with a “team effort” might be a cliche as old as the sport itself, but it frequently rings true with Rice women’s basketball. The Owls spread out their scoring as they typically do, but it’s hard to ignore the consistent production of Ashlee Austin, no matter how effective her teammates have been. Saturday’s win over UTSA marked her tenth consecutive outing of double-digit points and her seventh 20+ point game. She finished with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Stat Corner | Going deep

The three-point shot has been part of the Owls’ offensive attack this season, although to a lesser degree than the Rice men. On Saturday, the women lit up the scoreboard with some long-distance shots of their own. Rice women’s basketball hit 14 three-pointers, crushing their previous season-high (10 at Middle Tennessee, Jan. 7.).

Bokunewicz led the charge, converting seven of the Owls’ 14 triples on her own, tying a school record.

Final Box | Rice 86 – UTSA 48

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball clinched a first-round bye in the Conference USA Tournament with their win over UTEP on Thursday. As Saturday’s games wrap up they’ll have a better understanding of where they’ll fall in the final seeding. Regardless, their first game of the Conference USA Tournament will be played on Wednesday, March 9.

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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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