Saturday, November 13
Houston, TX
7:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-11,00 CUSA
69
vs
73
Louisiana
2-0,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
14
8
19
32
73
Rice
16
17
20
16
69
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Ragin’ Cajuns Use Late Comeback to Defeat Owls, 73-69
11/13/2021 10:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Austin pours in career-high 20 points in defeat
HOUSTON – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns used 32-16 fourth quarter advantage to rally for a 73-69 victory over the Rice Owls Saturday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice sophomore forward Ashlee Austin established a new career-high in scoring in the loss for a second straight game with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and a 12-of-13 performance at the free throw line in 27 minutes of action. Austin added seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
Rice sophomore Katelyn Crosthwait also scored in double-figures for the Owls (1-1) with 19 points and just missed sending the game to overtime when her three-point attempt with three seconds remaining in regulation drew iron.
Louisiana (2-0), who advanced to the second round of the WNIT last season, had five players score in double-figures, including a game-high 23 points from Brandi Williams.
The Ragin' Cajuns shot 51 percent from the field for the game, including a 10-of-11 performance in the final quarter in which thy scored 32 points.
Rice held a massive advantage on the glass, outrebounding Louisiana 42-19, including a 17-5 discrepancy on the offensive boards. The Owls also went 19-of-23 at the free throw line, a clip of 83 percent.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I thought we came out and played really well in the first half. We had a few more turnovers in that opening half than I would have liked and was really hoping we could clean that up in the second half but they turned up the pressure on us. It was kind of a token pressure we kept telling our team you'll get open looks if you just beat that initial pressure and I think we left some points on the board when we beat the press. We had some costly turnovers at the wrong time. I think the number one thing I'm disappointed in is our defense. We talk about holding opponents to 30 or less points in a half and we allowed them to score 32 in the fourth quarter alone. We did control the rebounding effort I think we just fell short on the defensive side."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
After four ties and four lead changes the Owls held a 16-14 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Austin got off to a terrific start with 8 points in the quarter on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. Crosthwait added six points, including the Owls first three-pointer of the night. The Owls crashed the glass for five offensive boards and converted them into seven points.
Second Quarter
The Owls turned up the pressure defensively, minimizing the Ragin' Cajuns to just 8 points in the quarter on 3-of-13 (23 percent) shooting. Redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the period and sophomore forward India Bellamy contributed 6 points and 5 rebounds in just 7 minutes of play off the bench. Rice entered halftime with a 33-22 advantage.
Third Quarter
Rice won the period by outscoring Louisiana, 20-19, the Owls best offensive quarter of the game. Rice shot 58 percent from the field by hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor and Crosthwait contributed 7 points.
Fourth Quarter
Louisiana got hot offensively by missing just one shot in the quarter and a four-point play from Williams with 4:05 remaining cut the Rice lead to 62-59. Following a Rice turnover, the Ragin' Cajuns took a 70-68 lead with 26 seconds remaining a jumper from Makayia Hallmon. The Owls had an opportunity to tie game but Austin, who had made her first 11 free throw attempts, split a pair at the line to pull Rice to within 70-69. After the Owls were forced to foul and Louisiana made both free throws, Crosthwait's game-tying attempt from the beyond the arc was off the mark.
UP NEXT
The Owls will look to bounce back next Wednesday, Nov. 17 when they host crosstown foe Texas Southern at 6 p.m. on CUSAtv.
Rice sophomore forward Ashlee Austin established a new career-high in scoring in the loss for a second straight game with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and a 12-of-13 performance at the free throw line in 27 minutes of action. Austin added seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
Rice sophomore Katelyn Crosthwait also scored in double-figures for the Owls (1-1) with 19 points and just missed sending the game to overtime when her three-point attempt with three seconds remaining in regulation drew iron.
Louisiana (2-0), who advanced to the second round of the WNIT last season, had five players score in double-figures, including a game-high 23 points from Brandi Williams.
The Ragin' Cajuns shot 51 percent from the field for the game, including a 10-of-11 performance in the final quarter in which thy scored 32 points.
Rice held a massive advantage on the glass, outrebounding Louisiana 42-19, including a 17-5 discrepancy on the offensive boards. The Owls also went 19-of-23 at the free throw line, a clip of 83 percent.
"I thought we came out and played really well in the first half. We had a few more turnovers in that opening half than I would have liked and was really hoping we could clean that up in the second half but they turned up the pressure on us. It was kind of a token pressure we kept telling our team you'll get open looks if you just beat that initial pressure and I think we left some points on the board when we beat the press. We had some costly turnovers at the wrong time. I think the number one thing I'm disappointed in is our defense. We talk about holding opponents to 30 or less points in a half and we allowed them to score 32 in the fourth quarter alone. We did control the rebounding effort I think we just fell short on the defensive side."
First Quarter
After four ties and four lead changes the Owls held a 16-14 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Austin got off to a terrific start with 8 points in the quarter on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. Crosthwait added six points, including the Owls first three-pointer of the night. The Owls crashed the glass for five offensive boards and converted them into seven points.
Second Quarter
The Owls turned up the pressure defensively, minimizing the Ragin' Cajuns to just 8 points in the quarter on 3-of-13 (23 percent) shooting. Redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the period and sophomore forward India Bellamy contributed 6 points and 5 rebounds in just 7 minutes of play off the bench. Rice entered halftime with a 33-22 advantage.
Third Quarter
Rice won the period by outscoring Louisiana, 20-19, the Owls best offensive quarter of the game. Rice shot 58 percent from the field by hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor and Crosthwait contributed 7 points.
Fourth Quarter
Louisiana got hot offensively by missing just one shot in the quarter and a four-point play from Williams with 4:05 remaining cut the Rice lead to 62-59. Following a Rice turnover, the Ragin' Cajuns took a 70-68 lead with 26 seconds remaining a jumper from Makayia Hallmon. The Owls had an opportunity to tie game but Austin, who had made her first 11 free throw attempts, split a pair at the line to pull Rice to within 70-69. After the Owls were forced to foul and Louisiana made both free throws, Crosthwait's game-tying attempt from the beyond the arc was off the mark.
The Owls will look to bounce back next Wednesday, Nov. 17 when they host crosstown foe Texas Southern at 6 p.m. on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
LA
Rice
FG%
.509
.415
3FG%
.313
.250
FT%
.636
.826
RB
19
42
TO
14
26
STL
9
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
12
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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