Photo by: Keith Lucas
Owls Hang Tough at Old Dominion, Fall 69-59
1/20/2022 6:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Three Owls score in double-figures
NORFOLK, VA – A severely short-handed Rice Owls women's basketball team went toe-to-toe on the road against an Old Dominion Monarchs squad picked to finish second in Conference USA on Thursday afternoon, eventually falling 69-59 in a game where the Owls pulled to within two points with four minutes remaining.
Rice (5-7, 0-4), who was playing with just seven players for a majority of the contest, had three players score in double-figures led by 12 points apiece from redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz and sophomore India Bellamy (career-high). Freshman forward Malia Fisher also contributed double-digit points with 11, nine of which came in the second half.
The Owls outshot the Monarchs (13-3, 3-1) from the field, 49%-42%, but were outscored 16-7 in points off turnovers and 12-6 in second chance points. Iggy Allen led Old Dominion with a game-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the critical fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I feel like these young ladies gave me everything they had today. We are learning and growing from mistakes we have made in the past games and doing everything we can do to get a different outcome. Unfortunately today we came up a little short again, but this team is playing through some very tough conditions. I am not into moral victories but I saw a lot from our team today that makes me proud."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Owls outscored the Monarchs by an 18-12 margin in the opening quarter by shooting 56 percent from the floor and holding Old Dominion to just a 24 percent clip. Six different Owls got into the scoring column with Destiny Jackson and Haylee Swayze scoring four points apiece. Bokunewicz and Ashlee Austin each connected on three-pointers and Rice scored 10 of their 18 points in the paint.
Second Quarter
Old Dominion won the second period, 16-13, and entered the halftime trailing Rice 31-28 with a 7-2 spurt over the final four minutes of the quarter. Bellamy kept the Owls in the lead with five points off the bench, including a driving layup to beat the shot clock in the final 40 seconds.
Third Quarter
Neither team had much success on the offensive end coming out of the break with the Monarchs outscoring the Owls 12-9. Both Rice and Old Dominion shot less than 35 percent from the field but Bellamy gave the Owls some momentum entering the final period with an acrobatic layup before the quarter horn sounded.
Fourth Quarter
Both teams posted their best offensive quarter of the game but it was the Monarchs outscoring Rice, 29-19 with Allen catching fire down the stretch. Fisher scored seven points for the Owls in the quarter, which included a steal and breakaway layup and an old-fashioned three-point play. Austin brought Rice to within 55-53 with 4:32 remaining after making a pair of attempts at the free throw line, however, the Monarchs outscored Rice 14-6 the rest of the way.
UP NEXT
The Owls conclude their East Coast road swing on Saturday, Jan. 22 when they travel to Charlotte to face the 49ers at 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+.
Rice (5-7, 0-4), who was playing with just seven players for a majority of the contest, had three players score in double-figures led by 12 points apiece from redshirt freshman Maya Bokunewicz and sophomore India Bellamy (career-high). Freshman forward Malia Fisher also contributed double-digit points with 11, nine of which came in the second half.
The Owls outshot the Monarchs (13-3, 3-1) from the field, 49%-42%, but were outscored 16-7 in points off turnovers and 12-6 in second chance points. Iggy Allen led Old Dominion with a game-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the critical fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
"I feel like these young ladies gave me everything they had today. We are learning and growing from mistakes we have made in the past games and doing everything we can do to get a different outcome. Unfortunately today we came up a little short again, but this team is playing through some very tough conditions. I am not into moral victories but I saw a lot from our team today that makes me proud."
First Quarter
The Owls outscored the Monarchs by an 18-12 margin in the opening quarter by shooting 56 percent from the floor and holding Old Dominion to just a 24 percent clip. Six different Owls got into the scoring column with Destiny Jackson and Haylee Swayze scoring four points apiece. Bokunewicz and Ashlee Austin each connected on three-pointers and Rice scored 10 of their 18 points in the paint.
Second Quarter
Old Dominion won the second period, 16-13, and entered the halftime trailing Rice 31-28 with a 7-2 spurt over the final four minutes of the quarter. Bellamy kept the Owls in the lead with five points off the bench, including a driving layup to beat the shot clock in the final 40 seconds.
Third Quarter
Neither team had much success on the offensive end coming out of the break with the Monarchs outscoring the Owls 12-9. Both Rice and Old Dominion shot less than 35 percent from the field but Bellamy gave the Owls some momentum entering the final period with an acrobatic layup before the quarter horn sounded.
Fourth Quarter
Both teams posted their best offensive quarter of the game but it was the Monarchs outscoring Rice, 29-19 with Allen catching fire down the stretch. Fisher scored seven points for the Owls in the quarter, which included a steal and breakaway layup and an old-fashioned three-point play. Austin brought Rice to within 55-53 with 4:32 remaining after making a pair of attempts at the free throw line, however, the Monarchs outscored Rice 14-6 the rest of the way.
The Owls conclude their East Coast road swing on Saturday, Jan. 22 when they travel to Charlotte to face the 49ers at 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+.
-RiceOwls.com-
Team Stats
Rice
ODU
FG%
.489
.415
3FG%
.308
.273
FT%
.692
.800
RB
29
37
TO
18
9
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
WBB 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