Thursday, March 5
Houston, TX
7:00 pm CT
Rice University
-208,152 CUSA
82
vs
59
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UTEP
-1513,89 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
UTEP
17
18
14
10
59
Rice
27
15
19
21
82
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Owls Clinch Share of C-USA Regular Season Crown
3/5/2020 10:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Defeat Miners 82-59 for Win No. 20 of Season
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls women's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Conference USA regular season title by defeating the UTEP Miners 82-59 Thursday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (20-8, 15-2) moved into sole possession of first place ahead of Old Dominion (24-5, 14-3) in the C-USA standings with just one game remaining in the regular season, a rematch against the Monarchs on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to decide the No. 1 seed at next week's C-USA Championships.
The Owls established a school record with their 20th win of the season, marking the first time in program history that Rice won 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons. Under head coach Tina Langley, the Owls have now won 93 games over the last four campaigns, an average of 23 per season.
Rice got the job done on Thursday by hitting a season-best 12 three-pointers on 23 attempts (52%) leading to a season-high 82 points. Senior guard Erica Ogwumike notched her team-leading 13th double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds. It was the 13th time this season that Ogwumike surpassed 20 or more points and her third rebounding performance with 15 or more boards.
Rice junior guard Sydne Wiggins matched her career-high with 18 points, knocking down a career-best six three-pointers on seven attempts to go along with a game-high six assists and five steals. Freshman wing Lauren Schwartz (14 points) also scored in double-figures while freshman Katelyn Crosthwait added nine points on three made three-pointers.
The Owls recorded a season-high 22 assists with five different players dishing out three or more assists and dominated the Miners on the boards, 39-23. Rice posted an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Owls scored a season-high 27 first quarter points while limiting UTEP to 17 points on 33 percent shooting. Rice shot 64 percent from the field with Ogwumike leading the way with seven points and six rebounds while Crosthwait (6 points) and Schwartz (5 points) combined to make three, three-pointers. The Owls closed the quarter on an 11-1 run over the final 2:53, making a trio of long balls during that stretch.
Second Quarter
The Miners (15-13, 8-9) won the second period 18-15 by making 6-of-10 shots from the field. Ariona Gill, who led UTEP with 19 points, scored seven points in the quarter but Ogwumike added six points as well and Rice led 42-35 at the half.
Third Quarter
UTEP pulled even 48-48 with the Owls midway through the quarter but Rice responded with nine consecutive points over a span of 1:30 to rebuild their lead. Wiggins and Crosthwait nailed consecutive three-pointers and Ogwumike scored an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Owls a 57-48 edge. After UTEP split a pair at the line, Wiggins knocked down another three-pointer as Rice closed the period on a 13-1 run.
Fourth Quarter
Rice never allowed UTEP to see single-digits again, outscoring the Miners 21-10 over the final 10 minutes as the Owls connected from deep three more times in the final period. Schwartz (7 points) and Wiggins (6 points) led Rice in scoring in the quarter and the lead grew to as much as 25 points.
Up Next
The Owls host Old Dominion in the regular season finale Saturday at 3:30 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse in a game with a lot of implications. Should Rice win they would be the outright C-USA regular season champions for a second straight year and would be the No. 1 seed at the C-USA Championships next week in Frisco, Texas. Rice will honor the career of Ogwumike for Senior Day prior to the game.
Special tickets are on sale for $5 to see both the men's game (1 p.m.) and the women's game at RiceOwls.com/FieldhouseFinale.
Rice (20-8, 15-2) moved into sole possession of first place ahead of Old Dominion (24-5, 14-3) in the C-USA standings with just one game remaining in the regular season, a rematch against the Monarchs on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to decide the No. 1 seed at next week's C-USA Championships.
The Owls established a school record with their 20th win of the season, marking the first time in program history that Rice won 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons. Under head coach Tina Langley, the Owls have now won 93 games over the last four campaigns, an average of 23 per season.
Rice got the job done on Thursday by hitting a season-best 12 three-pointers on 23 attempts (52%) leading to a season-high 82 points. Senior guard Erica Ogwumike notched her team-leading 13th double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds. It was the 13th time this season that Ogwumike surpassed 20 or more points and her third rebounding performance with 15 or more boards.
Rice junior guard Sydne Wiggins matched her career-high with 18 points, knocking down a career-best six three-pointers on seven attempts to go along with a game-high six assists and five steals. Freshman wing Lauren Schwartz (14 points) also scored in double-figures while freshman Katelyn Crosthwait added nine points on three made three-pointers.
The Owls recorded a season-high 22 assists with five different players dishing out three or more assists and dominated the Miners on the boards, 39-23. Rice posted an 18-2 advantage in second-chance points.
First Quarter
The Owls scored a season-high 27 first quarter points while limiting UTEP to 17 points on 33 percent shooting. Rice shot 64 percent from the field with Ogwumike leading the way with seven points and six rebounds while Crosthwait (6 points) and Schwartz (5 points) combined to make three, three-pointers. The Owls closed the quarter on an 11-1 run over the final 2:53, making a trio of long balls during that stretch.
Second Quarter
The Miners (15-13, 8-9) won the second period 18-15 by making 6-of-10 shots from the field. Ariona Gill, who led UTEP with 19 points, scored seven points in the quarter but Ogwumike added six points as well and Rice led 42-35 at the half.
Third Quarter
UTEP pulled even 48-48 with the Owls midway through the quarter but Rice responded with nine consecutive points over a span of 1:30 to rebuild their lead. Wiggins and Crosthwait nailed consecutive three-pointers and Ogwumike scored an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Owls a 57-48 edge. After UTEP split a pair at the line, Wiggins knocked down another three-pointer as Rice closed the period on a 13-1 run.
Fourth Quarter
Rice never allowed UTEP to see single-digits again, outscoring the Miners 21-10 over the final 10 minutes as the Owls connected from deep three more times in the final period. Schwartz (7 points) and Wiggins (6 points) led Rice in scoring in the quarter and the lead grew to as much as 25 points.
The Owls host Old Dominion in the regular season finale Saturday at 3:30 p.m. from Tudor Fieldhouse in a game with a lot of implications. Should Rice win they would be the outright C-USA regular season champions for a second straight year and would be the No. 1 seed at the C-USA Championships next week in Frisco, Texas. Rice will honor the career of Ogwumike for Senior Day prior to the game.
Special tickets are on sale for $5 to see both the men's game (1 p.m.) and the women's game at RiceOwls.com/FieldhouseFinale.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
UTEP
RICE
FG%
.420
.518
3FG%
.273
.522
FT%
.636
.800
RB
23
39
TO
19
21
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09