Thursday, January 9
Boca Raton, FL
6:00 pm CT
Rice University
at
Florida Atlantic
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Preview: WBB Travels to FAU
1/7/2020 1:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. CT Thursday on ESPN+
Rice Owls (7-6, 2-0) at Florida Atlantic Owls (7-6, 1-1)
Game 14 • Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 • 6 p.m. (CT)
Boca Raton, Fla. • FAU Arena
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: Sidearm
Twitter Updates: @RiceWBB
Battle of Owls in Boca Raton
On the heels of a 2-0 start to Conference USA play, the Rice Owls will travel to the state of Florida this weekend for a pair of conference tilts in the Sunshine State, beginning with Florida Atlantic Thursday (6 p.m. CT) on ESPN+. The Owls have defeated FAU in four straight years, winning by an average margin of 24 points per game.
About FAU
The Owls split their opening weekend of C-USA action, winning at UTSA 80-53 before dropping a 96-65 decision at UTEP. Graduate transfer guard Crystal Primm (Auburn) leads FAU in scoring (13.7 ppg) and ranks 11th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (95).
Last Time Out
A 24-13 fourth quarter advantage helped propel the Owls to a 73-65 home victory over WKU last Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice won their 21st consecutive conference game with a balanced scoring attack, led by a career-high 21 points from freshman Lauren Schwartz. Senior guard Erica Ogwumike recorded her second double-double in as many games with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
Ogwumike, Schwartz Earn C-USA Weekly Honors
Following a pair of impressive victories, Ogwumike and Schwartz were selected the Conference USA Player of the Week and Co-Freshman of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday. Ogwumike averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds last week while shooting 48 percent from the field. In a rematch of last year's C-USA semifinals against WKU, Ogwumike scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while playing 40 minutes in Rice's 73-65 win. Schwartz, who was the Freshman of the Week back on Nov. 18, becomes just the third Owl to ever win multiple C-USA Freshman of the Week awards in a season and the first since Christal Porter in 2012. The guard averaged 13.5 points on 53 percent shooting along with 5.0 rebounds in 32 minutes per game.
C-USA Dominance
The Owls have the fifth-longest active conference win streak in the country dating back to 2018, having won 21 straight league contests. Only UConn (138), Baylor (43), Mercer (34), and FGCU (30) have won more consecutive conference games than the Owls. The Owls went 16-0 in league play last year with a winning margin of 19.2 points per game. Rice finished the season as one of just seven teams undefeated in conference play across the nation. Only Houston (16-0; 2010-11) and UTEP (16-0; 2007-08) completed perfect C-USA seasons before Rice, neither of which won their respective conference tournaments.
Stingy Defense
Dating back to last season the Owls have held 33 straight opponents below 70 points and 34 straight opponents below 45 percent shooting. Thru 13 games Rice is surrendering just 54.9 points per game (20th in NCAA) with an opponents shooting percentage of 34.7% (24th in NCAA). Last year's reigning NCAA shot blocker Nancy Mulkey has picked up where she left off last season and is currently fifth in the country in blocks per game (3.27).
Up Next
The Owls travel to Miami to take on FIU (3-10, 0-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) on CUSAtv.
Game 14 • Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 • 6 p.m. (CT)
Boca Raton, Fla. • FAU Arena
Video Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: Sidearm
Twitter Updates: @RiceWBB
Battle of Owls in Boca Raton
On the heels of a 2-0 start to Conference USA play, the Rice Owls will travel to the state of Florida this weekend for a pair of conference tilts in the Sunshine State, beginning with Florida Atlantic Thursday (6 p.m. CT) on ESPN+. The Owls have defeated FAU in four straight years, winning by an average margin of 24 points per game.
About FAU
The Owls split their opening weekend of C-USA action, winning at UTSA 80-53 before dropping a 96-65 decision at UTEP. Graduate transfer guard Crystal Primm (Auburn) leads FAU in scoring (13.7 ppg) and ranks 11th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (95).
Last Time Out
A 24-13 fourth quarter advantage helped propel the Owls to a 73-65 home victory over WKU last Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice won their 21st consecutive conference game with a balanced scoring attack, led by a career-high 21 points from freshman Lauren Schwartz. Senior guard Erica Ogwumike recorded her second double-double in as many games with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
Ogwumike, Schwartz Earn C-USA Weekly Honors
Following a pair of impressive victories, Ogwumike and Schwartz were selected the Conference USA Player of the Week and Co-Freshman of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday. Ogwumike averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds last week while shooting 48 percent from the field. In a rematch of last year's C-USA semifinals against WKU, Ogwumike scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while playing 40 minutes in Rice's 73-65 win. Schwartz, who was the Freshman of the Week back on Nov. 18, becomes just the third Owl to ever win multiple C-USA Freshman of the Week awards in a season and the first since Christal Porter in 2012. The guard averaged 13.5 points on 53 percent shooting along with 5.0 rebounds in 32 minutes per game.
C-USA Dominance
The Owls have the fifth-longest active conference win streak in the country dating back to 2018, having won 21 straight league contests. Only UConn (138), Baylor (43), Mercer (34), and FGCU (30) have won more consecutive conference games than the Owls. The Owls went 16-0 in league play last year with a winning margin of 19.2 points per game. Rice finished the season as one of just seven teams undefeated in conference play across the nation. Only Houston (16-0; 2010-11) and UTEP (16-0; 2007-08) completed perfect C-USA seasons before Rice, neither of which won their respective conference tournaments.
Stingy Defense
Dating back to last season the Owls have held 33 straight opponents below 70 points and 34 straight opponents below 45 percent shooting. Thru 13 games Rice is surrendering just 54.9 points per game (20th in NCAA) with an opponents shooting percentage of 34.7% (24th in NCAA). Last year's reigning NCAA shot blocker Nancy Mulkey has picked up where she left off last season and is currently fifth in the country in blocks per game (3.27).
Up Next
The Owls travel to Miami to take on FIU (3-10, 0-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09