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Rice Women’s Basketball: Early lead slips away as Owls fall to Marshall

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Once again, Rice women’s basketball came out strong but couldn’t stay in step through four quarters, falling to Marshall at home.

Rice women’s basketball couldn’t have asked for a much better start at home against Marshall. The Owls hit five of their first six shots to take an 11-0 lead over the visiting Thundering Herd. The offense would cool off, but not by much. Rice shot 60.9 percent in the first half, weathering Marshall runs with more buckets of their own.

Once Marshall regained their footing toward the end of the second quarter the two teams traded small leads throughout the next frame. Destiny Jackson and India Bellamy delivered crucial baskets in the third quarter to keep Rice in the mix heading into the fourth.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball falls short at home vs WKU

The tight battle tilted away from Rice when the fourth quarter began. Marshall went on a 15-0 run to start the period. Rice made just one field goal in the 10-minute span, faltering down the stretch as the short bench and the second game in two days seemed to prove too much to overcome.

Player Spotlight |  Destiny Jackson

Jackson came up one rebound shy of what would have been her first career double-double. On a day when most Owls struggled from the field, Jackson connected on four of her five shots, adding two points from five free throws. She finished with a +9 plus/minus, the only player on the team to finish in the positive differential.

Stat Corner | Not locked in at the line

There are a myriad of external factors that have not fallen in the Owls’ favor this season. But the reality is those challenges — both expected and unforeseen — happen to some degree to every team in every season. That makes it all the more imperative for this team to control what they can control, and that starts with free throws.

Rice women’s basketball went 8-of-18 from the line against Marshall, leaving 10 points on the board. Five of those misses came in the second quarter when the Owls could have kept a double-digit lead but allowed the gap to close. Free throws won’t fix everything, but it’s a good place to start.

Final Box | Marshall 66 – Rice 53

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball goes back on the road after their brief two-game homestand. Next week they’ll play a set of games against Old Dominion and Charlotte.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls fall to WKU at home

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Playing in their first home game in almost a month, Rice women’s basketball fell at Tudor Fieldhouse to Western Kentucky.

For the second time since mid-December, Rice women’s basketball took the court in a regulation game. The Owls played one game last weekend — and even that contest was delayed — by a snowstorm, rather than COVID-19, at least. Back on their home court, the Owls squared off with Western Kentucky, one of two teams in Conference USA still unbeaten in conference play.

Like they did against Middle Tennessee last Friday, Rice came out firing in the first quarter. Rice jumped out to an 8-2 lead, with all the Owls points coming from the arms of Haylee Swayzee. From then on, both teams seemed to settle in.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball midseason State of the Program

A 15-15 first quarter gridlock turned into a 21-21 tie midway through the second quarter then a 29-29 stalemate in the final 90 seconds before the halftime buzzer. Things would turn south for the Owls shortly thereafter.

WKU came out of the break firing, outscoring Rice 7-1 to start the third quarter as they opened up an 11 point lead. Rice struggled from the field and committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the quarter. “I think we did some good things and made some great runs,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said in the aftermath, “but then we did some a couple of silly things, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot and negate the run we just went on.”

The Owls would draw close on a few occasions in the fourth quarter, but wouldn’t tie it up again. Western Kentucky ran away with things late, turning what was a relatively close game into a one-sided affair in the final minutes.

Player Spotlight | Haylee Swayzee

It’s hard to believe, but the calendar is turning to mid-January and Haylee Swayzee, a team captain and one of the core pieces of this young team, played in her fourth game on Thursday against Western Kentucky.

“It’s great having her leadership out there, her ability to pull the team in in the huddle and remind them what we’re trying to do. I’m grateful to have her back,” Edmonds said.

Swayzee started strong but wasn’t able to add much to her point total down the stretch as her shots missed the mark. Still, she managed to tie for the team-leading in scoring with 14 points, adding four rebounds and two steals.

Stat Corner | Not all threes are created equal

Western Kentucky dominated Rice women’s basketball in transition from start to finish. Not only was their spacing on point, but they found the right shots to take. Western Kentucky shot 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from three, but not all of their threes looked the same.

On at least four occasions Westen Kentucky thundered down the court and found a three-point shooter unguarded by several paces who drained the wide-open shot. It’s a lot hard to make those kinds of shots with a hand in your face. In Edmonds’ own words, “Giving up wide open threes is not who we are or what we’re about.”

Final Box | WKU 78 – Rice 61

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball will have the quickest turnaround they’ve seen in some time ahead of them. The Owls are scheduled to be back on the court on Saturday against Marshall. They’ll hit the road next week for games against Old Dominion and Charlotte.

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Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas, falls to MTSU

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Rice women’s basketball finally opened conference play this weekend against Middle Tennessee, falling to the Blue Raiders on the road.

Head coach Lindsay Edmonds had always known the 2021-2022 Rice women’s basketball season was going to be challenging. Her transition to the school, plus a thinned roster and the seemingly inevitable bouts with COVID-19 posed a daunting challenge. But even forwarned those obstacles would come, it was hard for anyone within the program to prepare for what they faced over the course of the past month.

Rice last played a basketball game on December 16. They finally made their way to Murfreesboro, TN to open conference play against Middle Tennesse only to have the game delayed by a snowstorm. Exhausted, they took the court anyway and somehow managed to reel off a 13-2 run to open the contest.

Staked to an 11 point lead, the Owls had hope. Then the more seasoned Blue Raiders, who hadn’t been out of action for more than three weeks, overtook the Owls and turned a close game into a one-sided affair shortly before the halftime buzzer.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball Midseason State of the Program

Edmonds was honest in her comments after the loss, “It’s been a really rough couple of weeks for us,” she said, “From tests popping positive, to canceling games, to extending an already long Christmas break even longer, practicing with as few as 6 players for several days, weather delays – trying to get back into game shape after 10 days of quarantine has been extremely challenging.

“But I’m not into making excuses. That was the hand we were dealt and we needed to respond better. Middle [Tenneessee] was the much better team today and we didn’t step up to the opportunity. I’m disappointed in our showing today but do believe there are plenty of things we need to and will learn from these challenges.”

Player Spotlight | Maya Bokunewicz

Playing in only her ninth career game, redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz was the bright spot for Rice women’s basketball on Friday. She exploded for 20 points, a career-high, propelled by four made three-pointers. Her 41.9 percent clip from deep leads the team, as does her 18 three-pointers made. She also added an assist and five rebounds. Altogether it was a promising day for the second-year player.

Stat Corner | One step too slow

There were plenty of numbers that did not paint Rice women’s basketball in a favorable light following this loss, but two stood out from the boxscore in particular, points in the paint and fast break points. Middle Tennessee almost tripled up Rice in the paint, outscoring the Owls 52-18. They also edged Rice 20- 3 in fast break points.

The paint problem is a nod to physicality. Whether it be exhaustion from a long layoff or too long of gap between seeing live action, Rice was a step slow when it came to protecting the paint. That followed through to the fastbreak as well. Middle Tennessee was ready; Rice wasn’t.

The men exhibited a similar lull last weekend against North Texas before bouncing back and defeating Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Hopefully, the women just needed to get their feet under them and will bounce back in a similar fashion.

Final Box | MTSU 87 – Rice 63

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has already had their next scheduled game against UAB postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the Blazers’ program. A replacement game was contemplated, but as of now, it seems likely the Owls will march forward as their current schedule dictates. That would mean home games against Western Kentucky (Thursday) and Marshall (Saturday) next time out.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: 2021-2022 Pre-Conference Play State of the Program

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Rice women’s basketball has been on a long hiatus because of COVID-19. Here’s where the Owls stand with Conference USA action ahead of them.

It’s been a long while since Rice women’s basketball took the court for a game of any kind. The Owls have missed three contests, beginning with a road trip to play Texas A&M on Dec. 19 and continuing through to the New Year with their conference opener against North Texas also postponed.

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Before COVID-19 through a wrench in the Owls’ plans, things were starting to tick upward. The team sits at 5-3 with conference play looming. Delays aside, how does this team compare with the expectations with which they entered the season? Let’s dig in.

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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2021

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2021 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice Basketball goes on C-USA Tournament run

For the first time since 2007, Rice basketball won multiple games in the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls beat Southern Miss and knocked off Marshall before falling to UAB. After sneaking into the tournament as the sixth seed in the West, Rice put their best foot forward when it counted the most, building momentum as the team heads into the 2021-2022 season.

9. Owls shine at Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics

The realm of collegiate athletics wasn’t the only area where Rice impressed. The Owls also faired well on one of the world’s greatest stages: the Olympics. Ariana Ince competed in the Tokyo Olympics in the javelin throw. Soon after, Ahalya Lettenberger took home a silver medal in the Paralympic Games.

8. Rice Women’s basketball wins WNIT

It feels like forever ago at this point, but Rice Women’s Basketball marched through the WNIT in March, thumping Ole Miss to win the program’s first-ever WNIT Championship. The roster has changed dramatically since then, but the accomplishments of Tina Langley, Nancy Mulkey and Co. will not be forgotten.

7. Rice Football signs another Top 5 recruiting class

Recruiting has been one of the brightest spots for Rice football under head coach Mike Bloomgren and the most recent 2022 recruiting class appears to be no exception. The Owls took home a Top 5 class in Conference USA and the No. 2 rated class in program history. Each of the last three classes currently ranks in the Top 5 highest-rated classes in school history. More recruiting notes here.

6. Grace Forbes wins C-USA Female Track, XC Athlete of the Year

While track and field might not draw the same spotlight as other collegiate sports, it’s hard not to be transfixed by the level of dominance Grace Forbes has displayed in her young Rice career. Forbes was named C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Year and C-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Year. From start to end, she was the best of the best.

5. Rice baseball hires Jose Cruz Jr. as next head coach

Rice elected to make a change at the top of the baseball program following the 2021 season and athletic director Joe Karlgaard made a splash with the hiring of former Rice great Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz has already made notable additions on the transfer front and increased the visibility of the program within the city and on social media. The 2022 season can’t come soon enough.

4. Rice Soccer upsets WVU in NCAA Tournament

Making the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment. Winning a game is another. Rice soccer went beyond both bars in their spring season, knocking off 5-seed West Virginia in route to the first Sweet 16 appearance by a Conference USA school since 2011 and tying the program record for wins a season with 14.

3. Rice Volleyball makes NCAA Tournament, twice!

Rice arrived in Omaha in mid-April but had their first NCAA Tournament appearance of the year ended by COVID-19 cases within the program. Undeterred, they bounced back and earned another NCAA bid in their traditional fall season. Finally given the opportunity to compete, Rice beat San Diego in the first round before falling to Texas in the second round.

2. Rice football beats UAB

For the second consecutive season, Rice football won a game as a three-touchdown underdog on the road. In 2020, Marshall was the victim a dominant defensive performance by the Owls. This time around, UAB was caught in the crosshairs of what was indisputably the most complete performance by all phases in the 2021 season with team-favorite Wiley Green at the helm.

1. Rice Athletics accepts AAC invite

The giant of conference realignment awoke during the summer when Texas and Oklahoma announced moves to the SEC. That decision sent ripple effects across college athletics all the way to Houston, Tx where Rice Athletics was invited to join the American Athletic Conference. The Owls don’t have a date when the move becomes official yet, but the announcement itself is a massive moment in Rice Athletics history.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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