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Rice Women’s Basketball’s WNIT run blocked by stingy Oregon defense

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Rice women’s basketball fought hard, but couldn’t overcome the size and physicality of Oregon, falling to the Ducks in the second round of the WNIT.

Oregon landed the first blow in their second round WNIT matchup with Rice women’s basketball, knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the first three minutes of action to take an 11-3 home lead. Trailing in a hostile road environment, Rice remained poised and battled back, chipping away at the deficit to take their first lead of the night on their first shot of the second quarter.

From that point on, the back-and-forth commenced. The lead changed six times in the second quarter as the stingy Rice defense forced several turnovers, balancing out an uneven shooting performance that produced just a 33 percent clip from the field in the first half.

Oregon’s length and physicality continued to pose problems for Rice as the game progressed. The Ducks took advantage of a lightly-whistled game and worked the Owls from the inside out. As the Rice shots kept missing, Oregon exploded on a 23-9 run in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was all Oregon, too, overwhelming Rice with smothering defense until the Owls ran out of gas.

Rice shot 27.4 percent from the field, by far their worst shooting performance of the season. The previous low came on Jan. 11 against Middle Tennessee, 32.7 percent. Oregon picked up nine blocks and altered many more shots. They kept the Owls out of sync and eventually wore them down, securing the win with breathing room down the stretch.

Final Box | Oregon 78 – Rice 53

Key takeaway | Close

Rice women’s basketball played four Power 5 opponents this season: Texas A&M, TCU, BYU and Oregon. Three of those games were played away from home. Rice went 3-1 in those contests.

Four games do not a season make, but that sample paints a compelling picture of the type of team Rice has become, largely because the two pairs of games took place almost three months apart. Destiny Jackson, Malia Fisher and Trinity Gooden started the games against Texas A&M and TCU. None of those three started against BYU or Oregon.

Injuries have forced head coach Lindsay Edmonds to adjust, that’s true, but she’s also proven herself brave enough to tinker with a good thing in search of something better. Rice has continued to evolve from the team that struggled through a 1-4 start in conference play to the current iteration that’s won six of its last eight in the most important month of the season.

The first three weeks of conference play represented arguably the only subpar stretch of basketball this team played all season. Rice women’s basketball finished 23-9, which is a hair behind the clip of prior teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament or won the NIT. Rice isn’t back to that level yet, but the progression toward that end is clear. So long postseason, Rice women’s basketball will be back.

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Rice Women’s Basketball edges BYU in first round of WNIT

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Rice women’s basketball built an early lead and held on, surviving a late rally from BYU to advance in the WNIT.

Despite playing on BYU’s home court, Rice women’s basketball looked like they were right at home on Friday night’s opening round game of the WNIT. The Owls’ jumped out to a 10-0 lead, blitzing the Cougars from the first possession.

BYU got things going later in the first quarter, but Rice matched them blow for blow thanks in large part to a big day from freshman Shelby Hayes who made her first postseason appearance particularly memorable. Hayes had 10 points and four rebounds in the first half, setting the tone for the early portions of the game.

After holding BYU to 38 percent shooting in the first half, Rice turned up the pressure in the third quarter. The Owls led by as many as 13 in that frame, holding BYU to 29 percent shooting from the field, but the Cougars wouldn’t stay silent for much longer. BYU thundered back in the fourth quarter, closing within two points and forcing a Rice timeout.

BYU threatened, but never took the lead, missing a pair of three pointers in the final 20 seconds. Rice would grab the rebound and win the ensuing battle of free throws to secure the win.

Final Box | Rice 71 – BYU 67

Key takeaway | Full Strength Owls

Rice women’s basketball did not have Destiny Jackson available in the Conference USA Tournament, and her absence was felt. Her ability to create on the offensive side of the court and drive to the basket played a significant role in the Owls’ early exit from that tournament and might help keep Rice dancing longer in their WNIT run.

The closing seconds of the first quarter served as a reminder of what Jackson brings to this team. With the clock ticking toward zero, she took on several defenders, slicing through the lane and delivering a layup, the half’s final points. Her ability to score puts the Owls’ opponents on notice and opens the door for her teammates. If Jackson is back, even in limited minutes, Rice will be dangerous going forward.

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Rice Women’s Basketball to face BYU in first round of 2023 WNIT

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Rice women’s basketball has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2023 WNIT and will play BYU in the first round.

Rice women’s basketball is postseason bound. After falling to UTSA in the second round of the Conference USA Tournament, the Owls have accepted a bid to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The first round will take place from March 15 to March 17. All host sites for that round and subsequent rounds will be determined by the higher bidding team.

Rice will play BYU in the first round on Friday, March 17 with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm CT. BYU enters the tournament with a 16-16 record. The Cougars last played in the WCC Tournament, falling to Gonzaga.

Stream the game on BYUtv here.

The Owls have a rich history with the WNIT. In 2018, Rice defeated Texas State in Round 1 before falling to New Mexico in Round 2. They next appeared in the WNIT in 2021, parading through the field and defeating Ole Miss to take home the tournament championship. Along the way they posted victories over Arizona State, Fresno State, California Baptist and Delaware.

This will be the first appearance for Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds in a postseason tournament after taking over leadership of the program prior to the 2021-2022 season.

The entire field WNIT was announced on Monday, following the release of the Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket. Here is the full WNIT bracket. Should Rice advance past the first round, the Owls would play the winner of the first round game between Oregon and North Dakota State.

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Rice Women’s Basketball cruises past Delaware, advances to WNIT Finals

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Nothing could stop a Rice women’s basketball program on a mission. The Owls cruised past Delaware, punching their ticket to the 2021 WNIT Championship Game.

Early in the first quarter, Rice women’s basketball was deadlocked at 12 points apiece with WNIT semi-final foe Delaware. Then the Owls, who were already shooting at a blistering pace, cranked up the intensity to another level.

Rice reeled off a 12-2 run, seven of those points coming from Sydne Wiggins, and ended the first quarter with a 10-point lead. The second quarter was all Owls. Rice extended their advantage to 18-points. This time it was Catelyn Crosthwait who led the charge. The sophomore guard scored seven of the Owls’ 18 points in that frame, giving Rice ample breathing room at the break.

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By the midpoint of the third quarter, Rice was shooting 60 percent from the field. That pace would fade a bit down the stretch, but Delaware came nowhere near that efficiency. Jasmine Dickey led the Blue Hens with 25 points, but it took her 30 shots and nine free throw attempts to get there. Rice guard Lauren Schwartz tied Dickey in scoring but amassed her 25 points on just 12 shots and 10 free throw attempts.

Schwartz, Crosthwait and the remainder of the Owls were so efficient from the floor they didn’t require any points from center Nancy Mulkey. The senior center was held scoreless on three field goal attempts and Rice still managed to cruise to a double-digit victory. Mulkey did lead the team with 11 rebounds, three blocks and tied a career-high five assists.

Player of the Game – Katelyn Crosthwait

Crosthwait scored a career-high 20 points, contributing a team-best four three-pointers in the Owls’ semifinal victory. She was perfect from the foul line (4-of-4) and added five rebounds. Her scoring ability enabled the Owls to space the floor and open lanes for her teammates. Adding a three-point element to the Owls’ already efficient offense makes this a challenging team to beat.

Up Next

Rice women’s basketball has punched their ticket to the WNIT Championship where they’ll face Ole Miss. The Rebels beat Northern Iowa in the semifinals on Friday night. Tip time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m on Sunday, March 28.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls explode late, down Arizona State in WNIT opener

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The first round of the WNIT went well for Rice women’s basketball, who beat Arizona State to advance in the winner’s bracket.

Rice Women’s Basketball was disappointed to miss out on an at-large NCAA Tournament selection, but their focus pivoted to the WNIT quickly. Head coach Tina Langley had her team focused on preparation for their second WNIT trip in the past four seasons long before brackets were announced.

When the time came, Rice was paired with Arizona State. On paper, the matchup looked favorable for the 18-4 Owls against the 11-10 Sun Devils, who also boasted a strong defensive presence.

It wasn’t too much of a surprise then when both teams struggled on offense early on in the game. In the first quarter, Arizona State made 2-of-14 shots. Rice was held to 2-of-11 from the floor. The Sun Devils had more fouls (6) and turnovers (5) than points (4) in the initial frame. The Owls walked away with a 4-2 early lead, confident in their defense, but in need of a spark.

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Rice scored on three of their first four possessions in the second quarter, taking a 13-8 lead into the media timeout. They won on the offensive glass and took advantage of their opponent’s miscues, scoring seven of their 10 second quarter points directly off Arizona State turnovers. A 15-12 halftime lead highlighted a gritty, exhausting start.

The lead ping-ponged back and forth in the third quarter, but then Rice found their extra gear when it mattered. Katelyn Crosthwait hit the Owls’ first three-pointer of the game to spark a thunderous finish for the Owls. Rice outscored Arizona State 18-to-5 in the fourth quarter to secure the first-round win.

Player of the Game – Nancy Mulkey

In a game in which points were at a premium, Mulkey tied Lauren Schartz for the lead among all players in scoring with 16 points. The senior center converted on 7-of-10 shots from the field. That 70 percent shooting percentage more than doubled Arizona State’s team scoring rate. She added four blocks and seven rebounds.

Up Next

The format for the 2021 Women’s NIT guarantees two games for every team. With the victory, Rice moves into the winner’s bracket. They’ll face the winner of the second game in the Fort Worth Region between Fresno State (16-10) and Missouri (9-11).

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