Thursday, January 13
Houston, TX
7:00 P.M. CT
Rice University
-55,02 CUSA
61
vs
78
WKU
-114,40 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Western Ky.
15
17
21
25
78
Rice
15
14
19
13
61
Photo by: Juan DeLeon
Owls Comeback Bid Falls Short in Loss to WKU
1/13/2022 10:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four players score in double-figures in 78-61 setback
HOUSTON – The Rice women's basketball team's second half comeback bid was stymied out in a 78-61 loss to the WKU Lady Toppers Thursday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse, the team's first home game since back on Dec. 11.
Rice (5-5, 0-2) placed four players in double-figure scoring, led by 14 points apiece from guards Maya Bokunewicz and Haylee Swayze. Sophomore guard Destiny Jackson (11 points) and freshman forward Malia Fisher (10 points) also contributed double-digit scoring for the Owls.
Rice trimmed an 11-point third quarter deficit down to three points before the end of period but were unable to get any closer as WKU outscored Rice 25-13 in the fourth quarter.
WKU (11-4, 4-0) remained unbeaten in Conference USA and won their sixth straight game overall behind a game-high 33 points from senior guard Meral Abdelgawad, the league's leading scorer.
The Lady Toppers outshot the Owls from the field, 49%-37%, and scored 42 of their 78 points in the paint with 20 fastbreak points.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"Tonight we fell a little short on what we were trying to accomplish. We've got to keep plugging along. I know our roster is really short and this is not how anybody wants to go through a season but I'm not into moral victories; we want to get wins and not losses. We've been begging to get a balanced scoring attack and we at least had that tonight. Now we've got to clean up the defensive end. Ultimately we've got to fight and compete and unfortunately we didn't do that for a full 40 minutes tonight."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Swayze got the Owls off to a terrific start to the contest by scoring 10 of the team's first 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the game's first five minutes to give Rice a 12-7 advantage. However, WKU closed the quarter on an 8-3 run to pull even at 15-15 after 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
Neither team was able to find separation in the quarter with WKU outscoring the Owls 17-14 to take a 32-29 halftime lead. Bokunewicz and Jackson scored four points apiece in the quarter but it was the Lady Toppers that took the lead into the break following a made three-pointer in the final minute.
Third Quarter
WKU built a 41-30 lead in the first three minutes of the quarter but the Owls responded with a push of their own as Ashlee Austin and Trinity Gooden combined for 10 points and an Austin layup with 1:27 to brought Rice to within 51-48. Unfortunately, WKU was able to stave off a bigger Rice run with Abdelgawad scoring 14 points by herself.
Fourth Quarter
The Lady Toppers shot 75 percent (9-of-12) from the field against the short-handed Owls in the final quarter and won the period 25-13 to prevail for the victory.
UP NEXT
The Owls are back home to host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. on CUSAtv.
Rice (5-5, 0-2) placed four players in double-figure scoring, led by 14 points apiece from guards Maya Bokunewicz and Haylee Swayze. Sophomore guard Destiny Jackson (11 points) and freshman forward Malia Fisher (10 points) also contributed double-digit scoring for the Owls.
Rice trimmed an 11-point third quarter deficit down to three points before the end of period but were unable to get any closer as WKU outscored Rice 25-13 in the fourth quarter.
WKU (11-4, 4-0) remained unbeaten in Conference USA and won their sixth straight game overall behind a game-high 33 points from senior guard Meral Abdelgawad, the league's leading scorer.
The Lady Toppers outshot the Owls from the field, 49%-37%, and scored 42 of their 78 points in the paint with 20 fastbreak points.
"Tonight we fell a little short on what we were trying to accomplish. We've got to keep plugging along. I know our roster is really short and this is not how anybody wants to go through a season but I'm not into moral victories; we want to get wins and not losses. We've been begging to get a balanced scoring attack and we at least had that tonight. Now we've got to clean up the defensive end. Ultimately we've got to fight and compete and unfortunately we didn't do that for a full 40 minutes tonight."
First Quarter
Swayze got the Owls off to a terrific start to the contest by scoring 10 of the team's first 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the game's first five minutes to give Rice a 12-7 advantage. However, WKU closed the quarter on an 8-3 run to pull even at 15-15 after 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
Neither team was able to find separation in the quarter with WKU outscoring the Owls 17-14 to take a 32-29 halftime lead. Bokunewicz and Jackson scored four points apiece in the quarter but it was the Lady Toppers that took the lead into the break following a made three-pointer in the final minute.
Third Quarter
WKU built a 41-30 lead in the first three minutes of the quarter but the Owls responded with a push of their own as Ashlee Austin and Trinity Gooden combined for 10 points and an Austin layup with 1:27 to brought Rice to within 51-48. Unfortunately, WKU was able to stave off a bigger Rice run with Abdelgawad scoring 14 points by herself.
Fourth Quarter
The Lady Toppers shot 75 percent (9-of-12) from the field against the short-handed Owls in the final quarter and won the period 25-13 to prevail for the victory.
The Owls are back home to host the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. on CUSAtv.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
WestKy
Rice
FG%
.492
.369
3FG%
.346
.160
FT%
.643
.750
RB
36
39
TO
18
19
STL
14
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB Press Conference - UAB 2-25-25
Wednesday, February 26
WBB Press Conference - Florida Atlantic 2-18-25
Wednesday, February 19
WBB Press Conference - Tulsa 1-29-25
Thursday, January 30
WBB Press Conference - East Carolina 1-18-25
Saturday, January 18