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Rice Women’s Basketball falls to UAB in OT

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Rice Women’s Basketball went blow for blow with the UAB Blazers through four quarters before the shooting slumped for good in overtime.

Malia Fisher was the best show in town on Wednesday night as Rice Women’s Basketball slugged out a low-scoring affair in Birmingham against the UAB Blazers. Fisher’s season high 24-point fell just short of half the Owls’ game total and kept the team in the fight when everything else wasn’t going according to plan.

The teams combined for just 19 points in the first quarter, collectively before UAB took a 24-17 lead into halftime. A smatter of threes and free throws in the third quarter seemed to spark the visiting Owls who rallied from a seven point deficit to a three-point advantage, eventually entering the fourth with a two-point advantage.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Neither side did much in the last frame of regulation with UAB outscoring Rice 11-9 to set the stage for a winner-take-all overtime session. Victoria Flores got things started with a bucket, but a 9-0 run from the Blazers put the Owls too far behind to mount a comeback.

Final Box | UAB 63, Rice 56

Key takeaway | Shooting struggles persist

The number of subpar shooting performances has started to snow pile. Rice women’s basketball had 45 minutes of hoops on Wednesday night but only managed to come away with 56 points. More often than not a total that low isn’t going to cut it and that was the case this time around.

Through seven AAC games, Rice ranks 11th in the conference in field goal percentage and 12th in scoring. The Owls’ inability to create on that side of the ball has been a weight dragging them down all season and costing them winnable games.

That they’ve managed to tread water around the .500 mark is a testament to a tremendous defensive effort — Rice ranks third in opponent field goal percentage and scoring per game — but it’s not translated to nearly as many wins as this team expected.

Winning with defense is possible and it’s something this program has done tremendously well in the not-so-distant past, but it’s going to take something more consistent on offense. For whatever the reason, this season’s team hasn’t cracked the code on that vital component just yet.

Up Next: at Charlotte (Sat, 1/25)

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Rice Women’s Basketball surges past Memphis

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Rice Women’s Basketball overcame a slow start to take down Memphis behind 10 blocks and a big double-double from Shelby Hayes.

The defensive effort was impressive from both sides of Sunday’s afternoon tilt between Rice Women’s basketball and Memphis, particularly in the first half. The two teams combined for 19 field goals before intermission, each shooting 30 percent from the floor and going a combined 2-for-18 from three.

It was Rice who dominated the glass from the start, but that advantage didn’t really start to create any separation until the third quarter when the Owls started to take charge. Rice shot 64 percent from the floor in the third quarter, effectively turning defense into offense with 10 blocks along the way, the most in a single game for the program since 2018.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

That helped the Owls build their first double-digit lead of the game and it would only grow as the fourth quarter prolonged. A layup from Shelby Hayes, who recorded her second career double-double in this game, put Rice up by 17 as the game clock ticked under six minutes to play. That proved to be not nearly enough time for the Tigers, even though they tried their best to make things interesting.

“We just did everything that coach asked us to do and performed really well.” Hayes said.

The win brings Rice women’s basketball back to .500 in league play and two games above .500 overall.

Final Box | Rice 70, Memphis 59

Key takeaway | Beat bad teams

The Owls’ struggles to close out resume-building opportunities this season has been well documented, but no such resume booster was on the table against a 3-11 Memphis squad on Sunday. Instead, this was the sort of game Rice women’s basketball couldn’t afford to lose, especially give the limited cushion they’d allowed themselves with those other missed chances.

Things looked dicey early on, but the Owls found that extra gear they needed, weathering a series of three pointers that got their opponents back within seven before Rice slammed the door with a run of six late free throws to put the game out of reach.

A lot hasn’t come easy for this program in recent weeks, but getting back in the win column and not having to sweat out another closer-than-expected finish could go a long way to rebuilding confidence lost along the way.

Not every game is going to be against the Memphis’ of the world. But when it is, you need to beat them. So far, so good.

Up Next: at North Texas (Wed, 1/15)

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Another rough fourth quarter dooms Rice Women’s Basketball at UTSA

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Rice Women’s Basketball started hot but finished ice cold, falling to UTSA on the road in another heartbreaking late slump.

It couldn’t have gotten much better for Rice Women’s Basketball than an 8-0 run to start their road contest at UTSA, the top team in the AAC standings with a sterling 13-2 record. Good teams don’t roll over, though, and the Roadrunners quickly battled back to get the game within reach near the end of the quarter.

Both teams traded blows in the second with the Owls taking a five-point advantage into the locker room at the break. UTSA whittled it down to two midway through the second before Hailey Adams and Dominique Ennis pushed the Rice advantage back to multiple possessions entering the fourth.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Rice would make just four field goals in the fourth quarter, leaning on their defense to keep the game close as turnovers really started to take a toll. The Owls still shot 55 percent in the fourth quarter, but UTSA dominated the boards in that final period 9-1 and made four of their last five field goals as Rice was held scoreless in the final three minutes.

Final Box | UTSA 67, Rice 52

Key takeaway | The Elephant In The Room

Days removed from proving they can close out a game late, Rice women’s basketball returned to their familiar fourth quarter flaws. Leading their opponents by six entering the final frame on Wednesday night, the Owls were outscored by 15 points in the final 10 minutes, losing by nine.

This team typically plays well in the first three quarters. The fourth, however, had been the boogeyman this season and it seems only fair to wonder if the problem is as much mental at this point as it is anything else. If there were an easy answer to what was causing these late game failures, surely there is enough tape to make those adjustments?

Instead, it’s another loss in a game that probably should have been a win. Another defeat against one of the best teams on the Owls’ schedule that certainly would have added some flair to their resume.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Sun, 1/12)

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Rice Women’s Basketball: 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

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It’s been an up-and-down year for Rice Women’s Basketball and head coach Lindsay Edmonds. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Sitting at 8-6 (1-1) with two league games under their belts, Rice women’s basketball is wrestling with unmet expectations and a long season still ahead. The Owls are finally healthy as they enter the heart of league play, posting perhaps their most impressive win of the season the last time they took the court.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Can the Owls rebound from a tough schedule and rough start with another late-season rally? That’s the unknown staring back at this squad as they fight through the middle of the season. Here’s where the Owls stand at the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey to this point and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

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Clutch Fourth Quarter powers Rice Women’s Basketball past Tulane

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Rice Women’s Basketball delivered a much-needed fourth quarter rally, dominating Tulane late for their first AAC win of the season.

Dominique Ennis hit the first shot of the game to give Rice an early 2-0 lead, but the Owls’ advantage wouldn’t last long on the road against the Tulane Green Wave. Their hosts delivered an 11-0 run to seize an advantage in the first quarter.

A defensive slugfest in the second quarter would keep the game around a one-point margin for a while until a 7-0 run from the Wave put Rice in trouble at the half, down eight after scoring just five points in that frame.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The game would largely hover around that level for the next quarter of action. Both sides traded baskets as the scoring picked up, but Tulane was able to maintain at least a two possession lead until Rice began to make their move in earnest at the beginning of the fourth period.

Ennis went three-for-three from deep in the fourth, supplemented by an 8-point, 4-rebound, 4-assist quarter from Malia Fisher, who delivered one of her most impactful performances of the season to date. That tandem, with timely contributions from Hailey Adams, Sussy Ngulefac and Victoria Flores, all of which played the entire quarter, propelled Rice to a come-from-behind victory.

The 33 points Rice scored in the fourth quarter made for the third-most points in a quarter in program history. Rice finished the game making 10 of their last 12 shots from the field. That’s quite an impressive way to ring in the New Year.

Final Box | Rice 72, Tulane 64

What They’re Saying

“Road wins are so tough in the conference. I’m really, really proud of our team’s effort and toughness. We dug a hole, but we rallied together and found a way to get a win on the road in conference play. I thought just our resiliency was incredible. Our fourth quarter performance was really, really tough and really special, and exactly what we needed.” – Rice Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Resilient Rally

The fourth quarter has been the boogeyman for Rice Women’s basketball all season long, a refrain explored in detail just days prior in a loss to South Florida. For Rice to win this game against Tulane on the road in this manner was crucial. Not just to get the win and avoid an 0-2 start in league play, but to prove to themselves and those watching that clutch gene is in their somewhere.

Rice shot 71 percent from the field in the fourth quarter. Tulane shot 27 percent, but was only marginally better on the afternoon, shooting at a 33 percent clip from the floor. The Owls’ defense more or less held serve while the offense found that extra gear that had eluded them so many times this season.

This team isn’t going to shoot 71 percent in any quarter very often, but avoiding the deficit in the first place is something they’ve largely proven themselves capable of and there’s something to be said of the impact on the team’s psyche gained from finally getting over this hill. It’s just one win on the ledger, but it felt like much more.

Up Next: vs UTSA (Wed, 1/8)

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