Saturday, December 11
Houston, TX
2:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-43,00 CUSA
69
vs
61
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
4-4,0-0Southland
1
2
3
4
F
A&M-Corpus Christi
14
16
17
14
61
Rice
17
16
10
26
69
Owls Use Late Rally to Defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
12/11/2021 5:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Swayze scores game-high 20 points in season debut
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls women's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack to rally from a 10-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 69-61 Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (4-3) received a game-high 20 points off the bench from junior guard Haylee Swayze, who was making her season debut after returning from injury. The Purcell, Okla. native was one of four Owls who scored in double-figures, finishing just three points shy of her career-high established in 2018 against McNeese. Swayze made 5-of-10 shots from the field, which included a 3-of-6 performance from beyond the arc, and made 7-of-8 attempts at the free throw line in 23 minutes.
The Owls, who outscored the Islanders 26-14 in the fourth quarter, tied a season-high with eight made three-pointers while also making a season-best 21 free throws. Rice shot just 39 percent from the field for the game but took advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, converting those into 14 points.
Alecia Westbrook led the Islanders in scoring with 15 points while Makinna Serrata added 14 points.
"At UT-Arlington we fell behind and we battled and cut it close, but we weren't able to pull it out so here we are learning from that game and already capitalizing, learning, and growing in order to pull it out after we got down in a hole. I'm really proud of their effort. I'm proud that they are not a team that hangs their head. They do whatever we ask of them to do and they're pretty tough and resilient. Our numbers aren't high but the ones that we got really battle. I liked having four players in double-figure scoring. That really gives us a balanced attack. Some things still to clean up but definitely some things to take away."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Owls won the opening quarter, 17-14, with the assistance of three made three-pointers, two of which came from redshirt freshman guard Maya Bokunewicz. Fisher also added a long ball and ended up with 5 points in the period. Jackson recorded four of her assists in the quarter while playing all 10 minutes.
Second Quarter
The two teams played to a 16-16 tie as Swayze came off the bench and scored five quick points, including a layup for her first field goal of the season to give the Owls their largest lead of the half, 26-18, with 5:23 remaining. Katelyn Crosthwait gave Rice some momentum right before the break, going coast-to-coast for a layup to extend the Owls' lead to 33-30.
Third Quarter
After an Austin layup to start the new half, the Islanders then reeled off 15 unanswered points to take a 45-35 lead at the 4:01 mark. However, the Owls began to chip away over the final couple minutes of the quarter and trailed just 47-43 entering the fourth with a 6-0 run.
Fourth Quarter
The Owls carried that momentum over by outscoring the Islanders 26-14 in the period, limiting the Islanders to 25 percent shooting and just three made field goals the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Swayze scored 12 points in the quarter while Jackson added nine additional points with the two combining to make 6-of-10 shots from the field and 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Owls also took advantage of six A&M-Corpus turnovers, which resulted in 11 Rice points.
UP NEXT
The Owls will start a mini two-game road trip on Thursday, Dec. 16 when they travel to Sam Houston to face the Bearkats. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Rice (4-3) received a game-high 20 points off the bench from junior guard Haylee Swayze, who was making her season debut after returning from injury. The Purcell, Okla. native was one of four Owls who scored in double-figures, finishing just three points shy of her career-high established in 2018 against McNeese. Swayze made 5-of-10 shots from the field, which included a 3-of-6 performance from beyond the arc, and made 7-of-8 attempts at the free throw line in 23 minutes.
Rice sophomore guard Destiny Jackson added 13 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, marking the first time in her career she has scored in double-digits in consecutive games. Freshman forward Malia Fisher also scored 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds and a season-high 4 steals in 28 minutes. Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin extended her streak of double-figure scoring to seven straight games with 12 points, making 6-of-8 at the charity stripe.🎥 Postgame reaction from @HayleeSwayze following her 20-point performance in her return. #GoOwls👐 x #OWLin pic.twitter.com/NN5vSGNznT
— Rice Women's Basketball (@RiceWBB) December 11, 2021
The Owls, who outscored the Islanders 26-14 in the fourth quarter, tied a season-high with eight made three-pointers while also making a season-best 21 free throws. Rice shot just 39 percent from the field for the game but took advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, converting those into 14 points.
Alecia Westbrook led the Islanders in scoring with 15 points while Makinna Serrata added 14 points.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds🎥 @LindsaySEdmonds breaks down today's victory and speaks about the Owls' resiliency. #GoOwls👐 x #OWLin pic.twitter.com/tJw5wYkd6U
— Rice Women's Basketball (@RiceWBB) December 11, 2021
"At UT-Arlington we fell behind and we battled and cut it close, but we weren't able to pull it out so here we are learning from that game and already capitalizing, learning, and growing in order to pull it out after we got down in a hole. I'm really proud of their effort. I'm proud that they are not a team that hangs their head. They do whatever we ask of them to do and they're pretty tough and resilient. Our numbers aren't high but the ones that we got really battle. I liked having four players in double-figure scoring. That really gives us a balanced attack. Some things still to clean up but definitely some things to take away."
First Quarter
The Owls won the opening quarter, 17-14, with the assistance of three made three-pointers, two of which came from redshirt freshman guard Maya Bokunewicz. Fisher also added a long ball and ended up with 5 points in the period. Jackson recorded four of her assists in the quarter while playing all 10 minutes.
Second Quarter
The two teams played to a 16-16 tie as Swayze came off the bench and scored five quick points, including a layup for her first field goal of the season to give the Owls their largest lead of the half, 26-18, with 5:23 remaining. Katelyn Crosthwait gave Rice some momentum right before the break, going coast-to-coast for a layup to extend the Owls' lead to 33-30.
Third Quarter
After an Austin layup to start the new half, the Islanders then reeled off 15 unanswered points to take a 45-35 lead at the 4:01 mark. However, the Owls began to chip away over the final couple minutes of the quarter and trailed just 47-43 entering the fourth with a 6-0 run.
Fourth Quarter
The Owls carried that momentum over by outscoring the Islanders 26-14 in the period, limiting the Islanders to 25 percent shooting and just three made field goals the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Swayze scored 12 points in the quarter while Jackson added nine additional points with the two combining to make 6-of-10 shots from the field and 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Owls also took advantage of six A&M-Corpus turnovers, which resulted in 11 Rice points.
The Owls will start a mini two-game road trip on Thursday, Dec. 16 when they travel to Sam Houston to face the Bearkats. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
TA&MCC
Rice
FG%
.400
.385
3FG%
.200
.296
FT%
.750
.636
RB
37
38
TO
20
21
STL
15
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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