Saturday, February 13
Houston, TX
4 P.M .
Rice University
-121,80 CUSA
77
vs
74
WKU
-612,57 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Western Ky.
18
14
24
18
74
Rice
15
21
23
18
77
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Owls Close Strong to Defeat WKU
2/13/2021 8:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Late run propels Owls over Lady Toppers, 77-74
HOUSTON – The Rice Owls women's basketball team used a 12-3 run over the final 3:40 of regulation to defeat the WKU Lady Toppers, 77-74, Saturday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse for the team's eight consecutive victory.
Rice (12-1, 8-0) erased a 71-65 deficit thanks in large part to three made three-pointers from sophomore guard Katelyn Crosthwait during the clutch run, including the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining that gave the Owls a 76-74 lead at the time.
The Owls, who are receiving votes in both AP Top-25 Poll and WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, remained in first place in the C-USA West standings while winning their 13th consecutive league contest dating back to last year and their 22nd straight win over a C-USA opponent at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Three different Owls scored in double-figures, led by Nancy Mulkey's 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Crosthwait added 14 points while senior guard Sydne Wiggins contributed 12 points. Senior point guard Jasmine Smith added eight points while tying her career-high with nine assists.
Rice, who entered the weekend ranked second in the NCAA in three-point percentage, went 10-of-24 (42%) from beyond the arc, which included an 8-of-15 performance from deep in the second half.
WKU (6-12, 5-7) was led in scoring by Raneem Elgedawy (23 points) and Hope Sivori (22 points).
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Mulkey scored six points in the opening period but WKU was able to take an 18-15 lead after 10 minutes with most of their damage coming at the free throw line. The Lady Toppers went 7-of-10 at the charity stripe in the quarter and Elgedawy led all players with eight points.
Second Quarter
The Owls outscored WKU 21-14 in the quarter and got a boost of the bench from sophomore India Bellamy (7 points), including a layup at the buzzer going into halftime that capped a mini 6-1 run by the Owls to take a 36-32 advantage.
Third Quarter
Both teams were efficient on the offensive end in the period with WKU outscoring Rice, 24-23. The Owls made five three-pointers in the quarter, a pair of which came from sophomore guard Destiny Jackson. Rice led 59-56 entering the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Out of a timeout and trailing 71-65 with 3:41 remaining, Crosthwait quickly cut the deficit in half with a corner three-pointer to make it a 71-68 contest. Wiggins then followed with a pair of made free throws to trim the deficit to 71-70. However, WKU responded with an old-fashioned three-point play from Meral Abdelgawad with 1:02 left to push the Lady Toppers lead up to 74-70.
Crosthwait came right back with another trifecta to once again pull the Owls to within a single point with 50 seconds left. Following a turnover by Abdelgawad, Smith found a wide-open Crosthwait in the corner and the sophomore hit the biggest shot of the game to retake a 76-74 lead on the trifecta. The Owls then managed to get a pair of stops sandwiched around a Smith made free throw to prevail the win.
Up Next
Rice is back in action next weekend, Feb. 19-20, when they travel to Marshall. Both games will be streamed on CUSAtv.
Rice (12-1, 8-0) erased a 71-65 deficit thanks in large part to three made three-pointers from sophomore guard Katelyn Crosthwait during the clutch run, including the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining that gave the Owls a 76-74 lead at the time.
The Owls, who are receiving votes in both AP Top-25 Poll and WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, remained in first place in the C-USA West standings while winning their 13th consecutive league contest dating back to last year and their 22nd straight win over a C-USA opponent at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Three different Owls scored in double-figures, led by Nancy Mulkey's 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Crosthwait added 14 points while senior guard Sydne Wiggins contributed 12 points. Senior point guard Jasmine Smith added eight points while tying her career-high with nine assists.
Rice, who entered the weekend ranked second in the NCAA in three-point percentage, went 10-of-24 (42%) from beyond the arc, which included an 8-of-15 performance from deep in the second half.
WKU (6-12, 5-7) was led in scoring by Raneem Elgedawy (23 points) and Hope Sivori (22 points).
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Mulkey scored six points in the opening period but WKU was able to take an 18-15 lead after 10 minutes with most of their damage coming at the free throw line. The Lady Toppers went 7-of-10 at the charity stripe in the quarter and Elgedawy led all players with eight points.
Second Quarter
The Owls outscored WKU 21-14 in the quarter and got a boost of the bench from sophomore India Bellamy (7 points), including a layup at the buzzer going into halftime that capped a mini 6-1 run by the Owls to take a 36-32 advantage.
Third Quarter
Both teams were efficient on the offensive end in the period with WKU outscoring Rice, 24-23. The Owls made five three-pointers in the quarter, a pair of which came from sophomore guard Destiny Jackson. Rice led 59-56 entering the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Out of a timeout and trailing 71-65 with 3:41 remaining, Crosthwait quickly cut the deficit in half with a corner three-pointer to make it a 71-68 contest. Wiggins then followed with a pair of made free throws to trim the deficit to 71-70. However, WKU responded with an old-fashioned three-point play from Meral Abdelgawad with 1:02 left to push the Lady Toppers lead up to 74-70.
Crosthwait came right back with another trifecta to once again pull the Owls to within a single point with 50 seconds left. Following a turnover by Abdelgawad, Smith found a wide-open Crosthwait in the corner and the sophomore hit the biggest shot of the game to retake a 76-74 lead on the trifecta. The Owls then managed to get a pair of stops sandwiched around a Smith made free throw to prevail the win.
Rice is back in action next weekend, Feb. 19-20, when they travel to Marshall. Both games will be streamed on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
WKU
RICE
FG%
.426
.492
3FG%
.375
.417
FT%
.667
.643
RB
35
40
TO
16
19
STL
14
3
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09