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Rice University Athletics
Owls Picked to Repeat as C-USA Champions
10/16/2019 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Ogwumike, Mulkey honored by C-USA Coaches
DALLAS – The Rice Owls women's basketball team was selected as the preseason favorite to repeat as the 2019-20 Conference USA regular season champions, the league office announced on Wednesday in a vote of the league's head coaches.
The Owls, who were picked to finish first in C-USA for the first time in program history, received 11 of the 14 first-place votes after becoming the first team in league history to go undefeated during (16-0) the C-USA regular season and also win the conference tournament. The Owls set a program record with 28 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
In addition, Rice senior guard Erica Ogwumike and junior center Nancy Mulkey were selected as two of the eight players on the 2019-20 C-USA Preseason Team.
Ogwumike is coming off a season in which she became the first Owl in program history to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors and was selected to the C-USA First Team for a second straight season. The senior guard averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, the only player to rank in the top-10 in the league in each of those categories. Ogwumike led all of C-USA in double-doubles (18) and total rebounds (327) while ranking third in the league in both free throws made (136) and free throw percentage (84.5).
Mulkey also helped the Owls punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by earning MVP honors at the C-USA Championship in addition to Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team accolades. The junior center led all of NCAA Division I in blocked shots per game (3.92) and broke a Rice single-season school record with 94 blocked shots, which ranked seventh in the country. Mulkey was the anchor of a Rice defense that ranked sixth in the NCAA in points allowed (52.9 ppg) and 10th in defensive field goal percentage (34.9). She was also 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (55.2), the second-most efficient single-season in Rice history.
The Owls open the 2019-20 season on Nov. 5 when they host Nicholls State at 7 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse. Season tickets are on sale at RiceOwls.com
2019-20 C-USA Women's Basketball Poll
1. Rice (11)
2. Middle Tennessee (3)
3. WKU
4. UAB
5. Old Dominion
6. Charlotte
7. North Texas
8. Southern Miss
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Florida Atlantic
11. Marshall
12. UTEP
13. UTSA
14. FIU
2019-20 C-USA Preseason Team
**Erica Ogwumike, Rice
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Shonte Hailes, Southern Miss
Rachael Childress, UAB
Miyah Barnes, UAB
Dee Givens, WKU
Raneem Elgedawy, WKU
**Preseason Player of the Year
-RiceOwls.com-
The Owls, who were picked to finish first in C-USA for the first time in program history, received 11 of the 14 first-place votes after becoming the first team in league history to go undefeated during (16-0) the C-USA regular season and also win the conference tournament. The Owls set a program record with 28 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
In addition, Rice senior guard Erica Ogwumike and junior center Nancy Mulkey were selected as two of the eight players on the 2019-20 C-USA Preseason Team.
Ogwumike is coming off a season in which she became the first Owl in program history to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors and was selected to the C-USA First Team for a second straight season. The senior guard averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, the only player to rank in the top-10 in the league in each of those categories. Ogwumike led all of C-USA in double-doubles (18) and total rebounds (327) while ranking third in the league in both free throws made (136) and free throw percentage (84.5).
Mulkey also helped the Owls punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament by earning MVP honors at the C-USA Championship in addition to Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team accolades. The junior center led all of NCAA Division I in blocked shots per game (3.92) and broke a Rice single-season school record with 94 blocked shots, which ranked seventh in the country. Mulkey was the anchor of a Rice defense that ranked sixth in the NCAA in points allowed (52.9 ppg) and 10th in defensive field goal percentage (34.9). She was also 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (55.2), the second-most efficient single-season in Rice history.
The Owls open the 2019-20 season on Nov. 5 when they host Nicholls State at 7 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse. Season tickets are on sale at RiceOwls.com
2019-20 C-USA Women's Basketball Poll
1. Rice (11)
2. Middle Tennessee (3)
3. WKU
4. UAB
5. Old Dominion
6. Charlotte
7. North Texas
8. Southern Miss
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Florida Atlantic
11. Marshall
12. UTEP
13. UTSA
14. FIU
2019-20 C-USA Preseason Team
**Erica Ogwumike, Rice
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
Shonte Hailes, Southern Miss
Rachael Childress, UAB
Miyah Barnes, UAB
Dee Givens, WKU
Raneem Elgedawy, WKU
**Preseason Player of the Year
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
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