Saturday, February 23
Denton, TX
3:00 p.m. CT
Rice University
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at
47
North Texas
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Rice
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59
North Texas
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Owls Secure C-USA Regular Season Title
2/23/2019 6:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Defeat North Texas 59-47 for 16th consecutive victory
DENTON, Texas – The No. 25 ranked Rice Owls women's basketball team clinched their first Conference USA regular season title in program history, defeating the North Texas Mean Green 59-47 on Saturday afternoon at The Super Pit.
Rice (23-3, 14-0) notched their 16th consecutive victory overall, maintaining the nation's second-longest active win streak in the country.
"I have so much respect for Jalie and her program, and I thought they played a great game today," Rice head coach Tina Langley said. "We couldn't be more proud of the way our team handled adversity and gutted out this win. The thing we love most about this group of young women is how selfless they are, and they showed that today in their effort and decision making down the stretch."
"Winning a regular season conference championship is a special accomplishment. The discipline it takes to be your best night in and night out has been the focus of our team since the season began, and we have really grown throughout this process. I am so proud of these young women and this staff for pouring their heart into this season, and I'm excited to see what else lies ahead for this group."
The Owls, who won their 10th consecutive road game, recorded the second regular season title in program history, joining the 2004-05 WAC championship team.
Sophomore center Nancy Mulkey led all players with 24 points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. Mulkey made 10-of-15 shots from the field and scored 18 of her 24 points in the second half.
Senior guard Nicole Iademarco (12 points) also scored in double-figures and made three of the Owls' six made three-pointers.
Defensively the Owls limited North Texas (14-12, 7-7) to 39 percent shooting from the field while holding their 19th straight opponent to below 70 points. Rice entered the game with the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation, surrendering just 53.9 points per game.
The Owls will be the No. 1 seed at next month's C-USA Tournament (Mar. 13-16) and have earned a first round bye.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Quarter 1
The two teams played to a 12-12 tie after the opening 10 minutes with four different Owls registering points. Erica Ogwumike scored five quick points for Rice, who shot 5-of-10 from the field in the period. North Texas made just 4-of-15 shots from the field in the quarter but connected on a pair of three-pointers.
Quarter 2
The Mean Green built a lead as large as 22-15 midway through the quarter but Rice responded with a 6-2 close over the final 2:21 to pull to within 24-21.
Quarter 3
Rice made another run late in the third quarter, outscoring NT 10-0 over the final 3:39 to take a 40-37 advantage to the fourth. Mulkey was unstoppable in the period, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting along with a pair of makes at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Sydne Wiggins also made a clutch three-pointer during the spurt. As a team, the Owls shot 70 percent in the quarter.
Quarter 4.
With momentum on their side, the Owls seized the opportunity to clinch a conference title by outscoring the Mean Green 19-10 in the final period. Mulkey contributed six more points while Iademarco added five more, and senior guard Lauren Grigsby delivered the game-clincher with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 54-44 with 1:39 remaining.
UP NEXT
Rice returns home for their final regular season home game on Saturday, Mar. 2 when they host Louisiana Tech at 2 p.m. on Senior Day. For ticket information, visit RiceOwls.com or call 713-348-OWLS (6957).
-RiceOwls.com-
Rice (23-3, 14-0) notched their 16th consecutive victory overall, maintaining the nation's second-longest active win streak in the country.
"I have so much respect for Jalie and her program, and I thought they played a great game today," Rice head coach Tina Langley said. "We couldn't be more proud of the way our team handled adversity and gutted out this win. The thing we love most about this group of young women is how selfless they are, and they showed that today in their effort and decision making down the stretch."
"Winning a regular season conference championship is a special accomplishment. The discipline it takes to be your best night in and night out has been the focus of our team since the season began, and we have really grown throughout this process. I am so proud of these young women and this staff for pouring their heart into this season, and I'm excited to see what else lies ahead for this group."
The Owls, who won their 10th consecutive road game, recorded the second regular season title in program history, joining the 2004-05 WAC championship team.
Sophomore center Nancy Mulkey led all players with 24 points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. Mulkey made 10-of-15 shots from the field and scored 18 of her 24 points in the second half.
Senior guard Nicole Iademarco (12 points) also scored in double-figures and made three of the Owls' six made three-pointers.
Defensively the Owls limited North Texas (14-12, 7-7) to 39 percent shooting from the field while holding their 19th straight opponent to below 70 points. Rice entered the game with the No. 7 scoring defense in the nation, surrendering just 53.9 points per game.
The Owls will be the No. 1 seed at next month's C-USA Tournament (Mar. 13-16) and have earned a first round bye.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Quarter 1
The two teams played to a 12-12 tie after the opening 10 minutes with four different Owls registering points. Erica Ogwumike scored five quick points for Rice, who shot 5-of-10 from the field in the period. North Texas made just 4-of-15 shots from the field in the quarter but connected on a pair of three-pointers.
Quarter 2
The Mean Green built a lead as large as 22-15 midway through the quarter but Rice responded with a 6-2 close over the final 2:21 to pull to within 24-21.
Quarter 3
Rice made another run late in the third quarter, outscoring NT 10-0 over the final 3:39 to take a 40-37 advantage to the fourth. Mulkey was unstoppable in the period, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting along with a pair of makes at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Sydne Wiggins also made a clutch three-pointer during the spurt. As a team, the Owls shot 70 percent in the quarter.
Quarter 4.
With momentum on their side, the Owls seized the opportunity to clinch a conference title by outscoring the Mean Green 19-10 in the final period. Mulkey contributed six more points while Iademarco added five more, and senior guard Lauren Grigsby delivered the game-clincher with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 54-44 with 1:39 remaining.
Rice returns home for their final regular season home game on Saturday, Mar. 2 when they host Louisiana Tech at 2 p.m. on Senior Day. For ticket information, visit RiceOwls.com or call 713-348-OWLS (6957).
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
UNT
FG%
.537
.385
3FG%
.353
.333
FT%
.818
.800
RB
29
23
TO
13
11
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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