Rice University
-69,16 CUSA
Southern Miss
-127,44 CUSA
Owls Go Cold in Home Setback to Southern Miss
1/29/2022 5:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Eagles defeat Rice, 78-55
HOUSTON – The Southern Miss Lady Eagles proved to be too much for the Rice Owls women's basketball team Saturday afternoon in a 78-55 setback at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice (6-9, 1-6) had three players score in double-figures but it wasn't enough to overcome the hot shooting over USM guard Domonique Davis, who scored a game-high 30 points in 37 minutes.
The Owls received 10 points apiece from freshmen Malia Fisher and Maya Bokunewicz, as well as sophomore Destiny Jackson. Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin (9 points) and junior guard Haylee Swayze (9 points) both just missed scoring in double-figures.
Rice allowed a season-high in opponent's shooting percentage (.547) and the Lady Eagles also shot an opponent's season-high 88.9 percent (16-of-18) at the free throw line.
The Owls shot 41 percent from the field but made just 3-of-17 (.176) attempts from beyond the arc.
Postgame Reaction - Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds
"I'm disappointed in who we were today. I don't think we came out and played our best basketball. I felt like our energy was really flat from the beginning. I'm not sure where it came from but I hope it's something we can correct pretty quickly. We have to lock in defensively and take some pride in that area. Our scoring drought in the second (quarter) and our defensive drought in the third (quarter) wasn't a good combination."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
After USM scored the game's first points, the Owls answered back with a 9-0 run with five of those points coming from Bokunewicz to take a 9-2 advantage with 6:38 remaining. However, Davis helped the Lady Eagles make a 16-6 charge of their own to win the quarter 18-15 by scoring 10 points in the quarter on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of triples.
Second Quarter
Rice was outscored 17-8 in the period with Austin scoring six of those points as the Owls shot just 36 percent (4-of-11) in the quarter. Davis scored seven points for USM, all of which came in the final 3:36.
Third Quarter
The Owls put together their best offensive quarter of the game with 22 points but USM was up for the challenge, scoring 28 points themselves on 73 percent shooting, making 11-of-15 shots from the floor and 18 points in the paint. Jackson scored nine points in the quarter for the Owls on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.
Fourth Quarter
Five different Owls registered points in the final period but USM managed to outscore Rice, 15-10, with Davis adding nine more points with a 5-of-5 effort at the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
The Owls will now play their next three games on the road, starting next Thursday, Feb. 3 at UTSA at 7 p.m. before traveling to El Paso on Saturday, Feb. 5 for a 2 p.m. tip-off at UTEP.
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