Wednesday, November 25
Houston, TX
2 P.M.
Rice University
-10,00 CUSA
83
vs
54
Houston Baptist
0-1,0-0Southland
1
2
3
4
F
Houston Baptist
17
9
18
10
54
Rice
16
14
29
24
83
Photo by: Maria Lysaker
Owls Open Season with 83-54 Victory over HBU
11/25/2020 6:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mulkey totals 23 points, 13 rebounds
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls women's basketball team used a big second half to pull away from the Houston Baptist Huskies in an 83-54 season-opening victory Wednesday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Four Owls scored in double-figures, led by senior center Nancy Mulkey, who recorded a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Junior center Arianna McCurry added a career-high 12 points in just 12 minutes while sophomore Katelyn Crosthwait also registered 12 points in her first collegiate start. Junior Haylee Swayze contributed 11 points, nine of which came from a team-best three made three-pointers.
The Owls dished out 21 assists on 34 made field goals on the afternoon, led by a career-high eight helpers from sophomore Destiny Jackson.
Rice outscored the Huskies 53-28 in the second half, limiting HBU to just 27 percent shooting from the field while connecting on 58 percent of their own shots from the field. The Owls dominated the boards (54-35) and points in the paint (48-18) as they improved to 40-2 at Tudor Fieldhouse over the past four seasons.
Rice Head Coach Tina Langley
Postgame Reaction
"I can't wait to see who we're going to become because you can see our commitment level and the way we've been practicing, we're going to get a lot better all season. In a season like this, a team that works and studies like we do, we can be really good at the end of the year despite being on kind of a rollercoaster of when you can practice and when you can play."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Five different Owls scored points in the opening quarter with four points apiece from Mulkey and Crosthwait. Rice grabbed an initial 8-3 lead on four made layups before HBU closed the period on a 14-8 run to lead 17-16 after 10 minutes of action. The Owls scored 12 of their 16 points in the paint.
Second Quarter
Rice limited HBU to just nine points in the second quarter on 33 percent shooting and used a mini 6-0 run to gain a bit of separation before entering halftime with a 30-26 lead. Mulkey added six more points in the quarter while Lauren Schwartz had a pair of made field goals.
Third Quarter
The Owls flipped the game upside down out of the break, outscoring the Huskies 29-18 in the quarter by shooting a blistering 63 percent (12-of-19) from the field. Mulkey was nearly perfect, making 6-of-8 shots from the floor for 13 points, including her first career three-pointer at the 2:11 mark to extend the lead to 53-41. Swayze added two of her three made three-pointers in the quarter and Rice led 59-44 going to the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Rice pushed their advantage to as much as 36 points (83-47) in the final period as they held the Huskies scoreless for almost eight minutes. McCurry scored seven points in the quarter while Crosthwait added six more as part of a 24-10 advantage for the Owls.
Up Next
The Owls (1-0) hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Little Rock (0-0) on Saturday, Nov. 28 for a date against the Trojans at 2 p.m. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Four Owls scored in double-figures, led by senior center Nancy Mulkey, who recorded a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Junior center Arianna McCurry added a career-high 12 points in just 12 minutes while sophomore Katelyn Crosthwait also registered 12 points in her first collegiate start. Junior Haylee Swayze contributed 11 points, nine of which came from a team-best three made three-pointers.
The Owls dished out 21 assists on 34 made field goals on the afternoon, led by a career-high eight helpers from sophomore Destiny Jackson.
Rice outscored the Huskies 53-28 in the second half, limiting HBU to just 27 percent shooting from the field while connecting on 58 percent of their own shots from the field. The Owls dominated the boards (54-35) and points in the paint (48-18) as they improved to 40-2 at Tudor Fieldhouse over the past four seasons.
Postgame Reaction
"I can't wait to see who we're going to become because you can see our commitment level and the way we've been practicing, we're going to get a lot better all season. In a season like this, a team that works and studies like we do, we can be really good at the end of the year despite being on kind of a rollercoaster of when you can practice and when you can play."
First Quarter
Five different Owls scored points in the opening quarter with four points apiece from Mulkey and Crosthwait. Rice grabbed an initial 8-3 lead on four made layups before HBU closed the period on a 14-8 run to lead 17-16 after 10 minutes of action. The Owls scored 12 of their 16 points in the paint.
Second Quarter
Rice limited HBU to just nine points in the second quarter on 33 percent shooting and used a mini 6-0 run to gain a bit of separation before entering halftime with a 30-26 lead. Mulkey added six more points in the quarter while Lauren Schwartz had a pair of made field goals.
Third Quarter
The Owls flipped the game upside down out of the break, outscoring the Huskies 29-18 in the quarter by shooting a blistering 63 percent (12-of-19) from the field. Mulkey was nearly perfect, making 6-of-8 shots from the floor for 13 points, including her first career three-pointer at the 2:11 mark to extend the lead to 53-41. Swayze added two of her three made three-pointers in the quarter and Rice led 59-44 going to the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Rice pushed their advantage to as much as 36 points (83-47) in the final period as they held the Huskies scoreless for almost eight minutes. McCurry scored seven points in the quarter while Crosthwait added six more as part of a 24-10 advantage for the Owls.
The Owls (1-0) hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Little Rock (0-0) on Saturday, Nov. 28 for a date against the Trojans at 2 p.m. That game will be streamed on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
HBU
Rice
FG%
.313
.486
3FG%
.250
.467
FT%
.389
.727
RB
35
54
TO
16
16
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
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