Women's Basketball: Lady Owls Down Redbirds in Opener
11/20/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON Despite a slow start in the first half, the Lady Owls opened the 1999-2000 season in style, dropping Illinois State 66-51 Friday night at Autry Court.
Senior Marla Brumfield kept her team in the game in the first half with 11 points and three steals, as the Lady Owls went into the lockerroom at halftime down 31-29. Rice held a solid 23-14 rebounding advantage at the break and forced 15 turnovers in the opening period, but never grabbed the lead.
In the second, the Rice women stepped up their intensity. With 14:06 to play, senior Jenny Cafferty. drained a three pointer to give the Lady Owls their first lead of the game. The Redbirds regained the lead briefly, but after a jumper by senior Kim Smallwood at the 13:12 mark, Rice never looked back.
Brumfield finished the game with a team-high 17 points and a career-best seven steals, tying the mark for the fourth most steals in a game by an Owl. Senior Kirra Jordan and junior Kenya Tuttle, making her first appearance in a Rice uniform, each added nine points, with Jordan shooting five-of-six from the charity stripe. Cafferty equaled her career best in assists, leading her team with three.
Defensively, Jordan and Tuttle also paced the Lady Owls' domination of the boards, as Jordan was one off her career best with 11 and Tuttle grabbed nine, seven off the offensive glass. Overall, the Rice women out-rebounded the Redbirds 47-31 and forced 30 turnovers. Jordan also matched her career best of three blocked shots.
Illinois State was led by freshman Steph Reichle, who had a game-high 19 points. In the first half, she was an impressive five-of-six from the floor and tallied 14 points before the Owls were able to slow her down in the second. Reichle was also the Redbirds' top defender, grabbing seven boards and four steals. After shooting .526 (10-19) from the floor in the first, Illinois State finished the game with a .439 field goal percentage.
The Rice victory marked the seventh straight time the Cristy McKinney coached Lady Owls have won their home opener.
The Lady Owls take to the air next week, traveling to Lubbock and Memphis, Tenn. Rice faces 23rd-ranked Texas Tech on Tuesday before taking on Samford in the first round of the University of Memphis Tournament on Friday.
