Women's Basketball: Rice Opens Lady Tiger Classic With Win
11/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Senior Kirra Jordan was again the Lady Owls' leader with 17 points, shooting seven-of-15 from the floor. Marla Brumfield, a senior, was five-of-six from the free-throw line, and finished the game with 22 points. True freshman Kim Lawson continued to show her development on the court by tallyng nine points on three-of-four shooting from the floor and hitting both free throws, in addition to dishing out five assists. Overall, Rice finished the game hitting .397 (27 of 68) after making .469 (15 of 32) in the second half.
Defensively, junior Kenya Tuttle led the Rice rebounders with 10 as the Lady Owls held a commanding 42-27 advantage on the boards. Jordan grabbed eight rebounds, including five offensive, while Rice snagged 20 boards off the offensive glass. The Owls forced 25 turnovers as senior Kim Smallwood led the way with five steals.
Clarissa Tomlinson led all scorers with 20 points after shooting nine-of-twelve from the floor. Tomlinson also led her team with five assists and five steals. Aimee Cochran was the only other Samford player with double-digit scoring, adding 11 points in the losing effort. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting .500 (22-44) from the floor.
The win improves Rice's record to 2-1 for the year and advances the Lady Owls to Saturday's Lady Tiger Classic championship game where they will face host Memphis. The Lady Tigers moved into the championship game after defeating Providence 72-59 in the tournament's opening game.