Rice University
Jackson State
Neaves, Riverin Lead Owls Past Jackson State in WNIT
3/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 15, 2006
Houston -
Lauren Neaves had her 18th double-double of the year with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Kadie Riverin added 20 points and five assists to lead Rice (18-13) past Jackson State (17-14) 64-48 in Women's National Invitation Tournament first-round action Wednesday at Autry Court. The Owls will next face Indiana University Saturday at 2 pm in Bloomington, Ind.
"The first half was very sloppy," said Rice head coach Greg Williams. "We didn't shoot real well and we had way too many turnovers. We started to play a bit better in the second half and that's when we pulled away. Jackson State was a very tough team and really came to play tonight."
Riverin sparked a 17-2 run by the Owls early in the second half with a three-pointer at the 9:14 mark to blow the game open, and Rice shot 62.5 percent from the field in the half to seal the fourth win by the Owls in WNIT history. This is the fifth time Rice has played in the prestigious postseason tourney.
Both teams showed signs of rust to open the game, combining for only nine points in the first three minutes. Jackson State's Shante Stanford hit a trey to start a 9-0 run by the Lady Tigers, and they increased their lead to 11 at 17-6 on a basket and a pair of free throws by Carena Easley with 10:31 to go. Neaves and Catherine DuPont scored for Rice to cut the margin to seven, and a Tiffany Loggins jumper brought the Owls within four at 20-16 with 6:16 on the clock.
A Neaves lay-up and free throw and a Riverin jumper made it 24-21 to Jackson State, and with 1:39 left Riverin knocked down a trey to tie the game for the second time at 24-24. The teams traded three-pointers before Riverin scored again to give Rice a 29-27 lead with 26 seconds to go, but Aisha Scott converted two charity shots with seven clicks left to send the teams into halftime tied at 29-29.
Shelita Burns scored on a lay-up and added two free throws with 16:57 to go in the second half to give the Lady Tigers a 33-31 lead, and Angel Liddell drained a three to give the visitors a five-point edge at 38-33. Latrice Elder's three with 13:17 left put Rice back up 40-38, and four minutes later Riverin's trey sparked the key Rice run.
Jackson State closed to within 11 at 59-48 with 3:01 remaining, but Riverin scored on a lay-up and made a three-point shot with three seconds left to seal the win.
The Owls shot 50.9 percent from the field and made six of 14 from long distance, but faltered at the free throw line, hitting only two of eight attempts. They outrebounded the Lady Tigers 46-41, and tied their season-high with 24 assists, but also turned the ball over 26 times.
Liddell led Jackson State with 12 points, and Easley chipped in 11 points. Burns and LaToya George also scored in double figures with 10 points each, while Scott hauled down a team-high nine rebounds. The Lady Tigers, who came into the game ranked 19th in the nation in steals, nabbed 15 on the night, but shot only 23.6 percent from the field.
