Women's Basketball: #10 Texas Tech Tops Rice, 63-56
12/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Texas Tech led by as much as 10 in the first half, 21-11 with 6:13 left on the clock, when Rice responded out of a timeout with a 12-2 run. Senior Kenya Tuttle tied the game at 23 with two of her six first-half points. The Lady Raiders closed the first half on a 9-1 run, and took a 32-24 lead into the locker room.
Both squads shot well in the first half, with Rice hitting .385 (10-26) and going 4-7 (.571) from the foul line. Texas Tech hit .414 (12-29), including .500 (4-8) from long range, while matching the Owls at the charity stripe.
Texas Tech opened the second half with five straight points, as the Lady Owls found themselves down by as much as 13 early on. Tuttle and sophomore Kara Liggett combined for eight points as Rice slowly gained ground with a 13-2 run, and closed within two. With 4:22 to go, Rice took their first lead of the game, 54-53, off a tip-in basket by Tuttle, but the Lady Owls couldn't hold on, as Tech rallied and sealed the game off a pair of free-throws by Amber Tarr.
Tuttle led all Rice shooters with 16 points, adding nine rebounds, and was followed closely by junior Aarika Florus, who scored 13.
Texas Tech had two players score in double-digits, led by sophomore Plenette Pierson, who tallied 17 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Jia Perkins scored 11 points off the bench for the Lady Raiders.
With the loss, Rice falls to 8-3 on the year, while Texas Tech improves to 9-1. The Lady Owls head north to South Bend, Ind., where they will face #3 Notre Dame at noon on New Year's Eve. Rice returns home to Autry Court on January 11, when they host Tulsa at 7 p.m.
