Saturday, March 7
Houston, TX
3:30 pm CT
Rice University
-218,162 CUSA
73
vs
70
Old Dominion
-246,144 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Old Dominion
20
13
21
16
70
Rice
22
15
15
21
73
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Owls Defeat ODU to Win Outright C-USA Title
3/7/2020 8:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rice to be No. 1 seed at C-USA Championships
HOUSTON – Rice Owls women's basketball became the first program in Conference USA's 25-year existence to win a regular season title outright in back-to-back seasons by defeating Old Dominion 73-70 in a Senior Day thriller Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (21-8, 16-2) clinched the No. 1 seed at next week's Conference USA Championship tournament in Frisco, Texas with a balanced scoring attack with five different Owls scoring in double-figures.
In a game that saw 18 lead changes and five ties, it was Rice that prevailed behind a team-high 20 points from senior guard Erica Ogwumike. The Cypress, Texas native celebrated her final home game in style and came through when it mattered most, scoring the go-ahead field goal with 27 seconds left in regulation and knocking down a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Sophomore point guard Jasmine Smith added 16 points and led the Owls with four critical made three-pointers while playing all but 14 seconds. Nancy Mulkey scored 12 points and added seven rebounds and six blocks while freshmen Lauren Schwartz (14 points) and Katelyn Crosthwait (season-high 11 points) combined for 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
ODU (24-6, 14-4) was led in scoring by senior guard Victoria Morris, who scored a game-high 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field.
Rice Head Coach Tina Langley
Postgame Reaction
"There's three seasons in basketball and this is a team that's grown in our first two. We played an incredibly hard non-conference schedule. We were young going in and I think we learned a lot about each other. In conference play we dealt with injuries, sickness and some deaths in the family. This is a team that's been through a lot. We talk a lot about how struggles produce endurance and endurance produces character. I think this team has shown great character and I couldn't be more proud of them and excited to see how much we're going to grow going into the conference tournament."
Rice Senior Guard Erica Ogwumike
Postgame Reaction
"I don't think I could have written this any better than to close out my home career with a conference championship. I'm grateful I was placed in this opportunity and able to accomplish this with my teammates, coaches, and family."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Both teams shot the ball incredibly well in the opening quarter and after eight lead changes it was Rice who took a 22-20 lead into quarter two. The Owls outshot ODU 64 percent to 50 percent and were led in scoring by both Ogwumike (8 points) and Schwartz (8 points). The Monarchs led 15-8 with four minutes remaining before Rice closed on a 14-5 run. Rice went on an 11-1 spurt by making four field goals in the paint and three free throws.
Second Quarter
Rice outscored the Monarchs 15-13 in the period to take a 37-33 halftime lead. The backcourt tandem of Smith and Crosthwait gave the Owls a boost by making a combined three three-pointers while the defense held ODU to just 4-of-15 shooting in the quarter.
Third Quarter
ODU won the quarter 21-15 behind eight points from Morris. Crosthwait scored six points in the quarter for the Owls while Smith added an addition five points and Rice trailed just 54-52 entering the final 10 minutes.
Fourth Quarter
The Monarchs opened up a 59-54 lead with 7:04 remaining but Rice found their footing and went on an 11-2 run to grab a 65-61 lead. Smith's three-pointer with 3:30 left put the Owls back in front 63-61 before Ogwumike added a pair at the line. The Owls led 67-63 with 40 seconds remaining but Morris converted a four-point play to tie the contest. Out of a timeout, Ogwumike powered her way to the rim kissing a layup off the glass to put Rice back in front 69-67 with 27 seconds left.
Rice then got the stop they needed on a missed contested three-pointer from Morris and Schwartz drew a loose ball foul while winning her rebounding position. The freshmen calmly made two clutch free throws to go up 71-67 but Morris came right back with one of her five made three-pointers on the night to pull to within 71-70 with under 10 seconds remaining. ODU was forced to foul Ogwumike with seven seconds left and the senior completed an 8-of-8 night at the charity stripe with a pair. Up 73-70, Rice put the clamps on ODU in the final seconds and the Monarchs were unable to get a potential tying three-point shot off as the buzzer sounded clinching the title for the Owls.
Up Next
The Owls await their C-USA Championship quarterfinals opponent and will play the first game of Thursday's tournament at 11 a.m.
Rice (21-8, 16-2) clinched the No. 1 seed at next week's Conference USA Championship tournament in Frisco, Texas with a balanced scoring attack with five different Owls scoring in double-figures.
In a game that saw 18 lead changes and five ties, it was Rice that prevailed behind a team-high 20 points from senior guard Erica Ogwumike. The Cypress, Texas native celebrated her final home game in style and came through when it mattered most, scoring the go-ahead field goal with 27 seconds left in regulation and knocking down a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Sophomore point guard Jasmine Smith added 16 points and led the Owls with four critical made three-pointers while playing all but 14 seconds. Nancy Mulkey scored 12 points and added seven rebounds and six blocks while freshmen Lauren Schwartz (14 points) and Katelyn Crosthwait (season-high 11 points) combined for 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
ODU (24-6, 14-4) was led in scoring by senior guard Victoria Morris, who scored a game-high 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field.
Postgame Reaction
"There's three seasons in basketball and this is a team that's grown in our first two. We played an incredibly hard non-conference schedule. We were young going in and I think we learned a lot about each other. In conference play we dealt with injuries, sickness and some deaths in the family. This is a team that's been through a lot. We talk a lot about how struggles produce endurance and endurance produces character. I think this team has shown great character and I couldn't be more proud of them and excited to see how much we're going to grow going into the conference tournament."
Rice Senior Guard Erica Ogwumike
Postgame Reaction
"I don't think I could have written this any better than to close out my home career with a conference championship. I'm grateful I was placed in this opportunity and able to accomplish this with my teammates, coaches, and family."
First Quarter
Both teams shot the ball incredibly well in the opening quarter and after eight lead changes it was Rice who took a 22-20 lead into quarter two. The Owls outshot ODU 64 percent to 50 percent and were led in scoring by both Ogwumike (8 points) and Schwartz (8 points). The Monarchs led 15-8 with four minutes remaining before Rice closed on a 14-5 run. Rice went on an 11-1 spurt by making four field goals in the paint and three free throws.
Second Quarter
Rice outscored the Monarchs 15-13 in the period to take a 37-33 halftime lead. The backcourt tandem of Smith and Crosthwait gave the Owls a boost by making a combined three three-pointers while the defense held ODU to just 4-of-15 shooting in the quarter.
Third Quarter
ODU won the quarter 21-15 behind eight points from Morris. Crosthwait scored six points in the quarter for the Owls while Smith added an addition five points and Rice trailed just 54-52 entering the final 10 minutes.
Fourth Quarter
The Monarchs opened up a 59-54 lead with 7:04 remaining but Rice found their footing and went on an 11-2 run to grab a 65-61 lead. Smith's three-pointer with 3:30 left put the Owls back in front 63-61 before Ogwumike added a pair at the line. The Owls led 67-63 with 40 seconds remaining but Morris converted a four-point play to tie the contest. Out of a timeout, Ogwumike powered her way to the rim kissing a layup off the glass to put Rice back in front 69-67 with 27 seconds left.
Rice then got the stop they needed on a missed contested three-pointer from Morris and Schwartz drew a loose ball foul while winning her rebounding position. The freshmen calmly made two clutch free throws to go up 71-67 but Morris came right back with one of her five made three-pointers on the night to pull to within 71-70 with under 10 seconds remaining. ODU was forced to foul Ogwumike with seven seconds left and the senior completed an 8-of-8 night at the charity stripe with a pair. Up 73-70, Rice put the clamps on ODU in the final seconds and the Monarchs were unable to get a potential tying three-point shot off as the buzzer sounded clinching the title for the Owls.
The Owls await their C-USA Championship quarterfinals opponent and will play the first game of Thursday's tournament at 11 a.m.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
ODU
RICE
FG%
.387
.481
3FG%
.400
.467
FT%
.824
1.000
RB
34
32
TO
11
15
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09