Rice University
Rider
Women's Hoops Slides Past Rider
12/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2007
HOUSTON - Valeriya Berezhynska notched 21 points, nine rebounds and sealed the game on the defensive end with a blocked shot as time expired as the Rice University women's basketball held off Rider emerging with a 66-65 victory over Rider Thursday evening at Sharp Gym on the Houston Baptist University campus.
The Owls (7-5) shot a season-best 47.1 percent from the floor. Kadie Riverin added 15 points on 6-of-9 from the floor, while Maudess Fulton tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Tara Watts chipped in a complete effort with 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. It was the first time in Watts' career that she put together back-to-back double figure scoring efforts.
Rider (4-7) also had four players in double figures headlined by 15 points from Tammy Meyers. Amanda Sepulveda and Janele Henderson totaled 14 and 11 points, respectively. Shaunice Parker contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Broncs overcame an early 11-5 deficit and carried a 36-30 advantage into locker room behind a 7-for-10 effort from three-point territory.
"He (Coach Williams) got on us really hard (at halftime),' Fulton said. "It was a wake-up call. We were a little stagnant, especially on defense. When (Williams) gave us that wake-up call, we knew what we had to do. We had to pick it up defensively."
Rice responded by scoring nine of the first 12 points of the second half and evened the score at 39-39 when Fulton converted on a transition lay-up at the 16:43 mark.
The two teams stayed between one possession of each other and tied six more times over the next eight minutes before the Owls went on an 8-2 spurt capped by three consecutive Berezhynska lay-ups in the paint to build a 60-54 edge with 5:54 remaining.
After a Riverin jumper with 2:10 on the clock kept Rice ahead 66-61, the Broncs closed the game with four straight points. Rider grabbed two offensive rebounds before a missed runner by Henderson put Berezhynska at the line with 11 seconds to go.
After the Ukraine native had the front end of a one-and-one rim out, Berezhynska came up with a critical block on Sepulveda to secure the 66-65 win.
"I saw Maudess pick up (Sepulveda) after Kadie (Riverin) got beat, and I was just trying to help," Berezhynska said. "I was going with it. There was nothing planned, nothing necessarily going through my head besides don't foul. The ball happened to be there."
Rice returns to the floor on Dec. 28 at Prairie View A&M. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 6pm CT. KTRU 91.7 FM and RiceOwls.com will carry all of the action live from the Prairie View campus.
